University of victoria

Published purpose

Following the JWST ERS and Cycle 2 GO Announcement of Opportunity published on July 6, 2023, the CSA is providing funding via a Grant Agreement to the university to conduct their research using the JWST data. This project aims to reveal the properties and ages of the oldest white dwarfs in our Galaxy; the precise ages of these “ultracool” white dwarfs remain a mystery due to uncertainties in our current models of their atmospheres. Direct observation of these white dwarfs using infrared spectroscopy will accurately determine the properties and ages of ultracool white dwarfs. This will also improve the characterization of planetary material detected in these ancient stars, giving unprecedented insights into the composition of planetary systems that existed up to 10 billion years ago.