WESTPORT — Origins of the earliest stars and galaxies will be discussed April 16 by an MIT astrophysicist in a free online lecture hosted by the Westport Astronomical Society.

Robert Simcoe, director of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, will explore the center’s studies of the early universe, which have been enhanced by use of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Simcoe’s lecture will take place at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, and can be viewed online via Zoom or the astronomical society’s YouTube channel.

Simcoe focuses on custom-built spectrometers for astronomical observatories, which can be used to study origins of the universe.

The Webb telescope, launched on Christmas Day 2021, and opened for observation in July 2022, has been used by Simcoe’s team for its research projects, and “has exceeded all expectations,” according to the WAS announcement.

Simcoe, in his lecture, will discuss how MIT researchers have used the telescope “to observe nascent galaxies and their production of the first heavy elements less than one billion years after the Big Bang.”

He also plans to “share some idiosyncrasies of the telescope, as well as the people who built it,” according to the announcement.