Comedian Tig Notaro Talks NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on Twitter

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A delightful and unlikely collaboration.

"Brother," Episode 201, Pictured: Tig Notaro as Chief Engineer Reno of the CBS All Access series "Star Trek: Discovery."
"Brother," Episode 201, Pictured: Tig Notaro as Chief Engineer Reno of the CBS All Access series "Star Trek: Discovery." (Image credit: Jan Thijs/CBS)

Worlds collided as comedian Tig Notaro and NASA teamed up on social media to talk about exciting new developments with the James Webb Space Telescope. 

Earlier this month, Notaro — a beloved stand-up comedian who recently added "'Star Trek' actor" to her resume — tweeted about Webb, which is currently set to launch in 2021. Notaro referred to her tweetstorm as the "'NASA Webb Crossover' by Tig Notaro."

Notaro introduced her fans to Webb, giving them a glimpse inside NASA's facilities and explaining what the telescope is. "The brilliant minds over at @NASAWebb shared some amazing photos and videos of their #NASA mission with Tig, so here we go!" Notaro said on Twitter. "What is #NASAWebb? A giant space telescope that will see the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang! And it's coated in real gold."

Related: 'Star Trek: Discovery' Renewed for Third Season

Notaro continued to tweet mesmerizing imagery of Webb and share details about the telescope and its mission, inspiring her followers to learn more. "Why are @NASAWebb's mirrors coated in gold? They can reflect infrared light better that way, and to see those first galaxies, the telescope needs to be infrared," Notaro said in a later tweet. 

The collaboration came about simply due to the comedian's appreciation of Webb and the work that NASA is doing, said Jeff Jetton, a strategist who works closely with Notaro. The basic idea was "just sort of getting the word out about what it is and who's involved," Jetton said.

So far, the Twitter teamup has garnered significant public praise. The positive response to the unlikely pairing could trace, in part, to Notaro's recent role on "Star Trek: Discovery." In the series' second season, Notaro appeared as Chief engineer Jett Reno. "Star Trek: Discovery" showrunner Alex Kurtzman wrote the part just for Notaro, and fans have praised her in the role.

Editor's Note: Tony Hawk did not join Tig Notaro at NASA.

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Chelsea Gohd
Chelsea Gohd
Senior Writer

Chelsea “Foxanne” Gohd joined Space.com in 2018 and is now a Senior Writer, writing about everything from climate change to planetary science and human spaceflight in both articles and on-camera in videos. With a degree in Public Health and biological sciences, Chelsea has written and worked for institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, Scientific American, Discover Magazine Blog, Astronomy Magazine and Live Science. When not writing, editing or filming something space-y, Chelsea "Foxanne" Gohd is writing music and performing as Foxanne, even launching a song to space in 2021 with Inspiration4. You can follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd and @foxannemusic.