Summary in seconds: the James Webb Space Telescope1 (JWST), promises to revolutionize astronomy with its powerful capabilities. Compared to the Hubble, JWST will push the boundaries further and enable groundbreaking discoveries. It is designed to stay cool using sunshield technology. Currently, JWST is located in space, and we can see its awe-inspiring images now.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has the potential to revolutionize astronomy and some even speculate that it could detect signs of extraterrestrial life within a relatively short timeframe. JWST was launched on December 25, 2021, from Kourou, French Guiana. The telescope is named after James E. Webb, who served as the NASA administrator from 1961 to 1968.
JWST is primarily designed for conducting infrared astronomy2. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a powerful new tool primarily designed for conducting infrared astronomy. It boasts significantly improved infrared resolution and sensitivity, allowing it to observe objects that are too old and distant for the Hubble telescope3 to detect. JWST is expected to revolutionize various fields of astronomy4 and cosmology5, enabling investigations into the first stars6, the formation of the first galaxies7, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets8.
The JWST’s primary mirror comprises 18 hexagonal mirror segments, each made of gold-plated beryllium. To accommodate existing launch vehicles, the mirror segments were used instead of a single large mirror. These segments unfolded after the telescope’s launch. The JWST’s light collecting area measures 25.37 square meters, a significant increase compared to Hubble’s 4.0 square meters. Unlike the Hubble telescope, which observes in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectra (0.1–1.0 μm), JWST operates in a lower frequency range, covering long-wavelength visible light (red) through mid-infrared (0.6–28.3 μm).
To detect faint signals in the infrared, the Webb telescope must avoid any interference from sources of warmth. Consequently, JWST is maintained in an extremely cold environment, below 50K9 (-223 °C; −370 °F). It is shielded by a five-layer kite-shaped sunshield, which protects the telescope from warming caused by the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
Having journeyed for nearly a million miles (930,000 miles or 1.5 million kilometers), JWST reached its final destination on January 24, 2022. JWST will orbit near the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point10, which is a gravitationally stable location in space. On February 11, 2022, NASA revealed the first-ever images captured by JWST. For further images and comprehensive details, visit: http://jwst.nasa.gov
References
1. Space telescope or space observatory: is a telescope in outer space used to observe astronomical objects.
2. Infrared astronomy: sub-discipline of astronomy which specializes in the study of radiations from space in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
3. Hubble telescope: is a Cassegrain reflector space telescope, launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation.
4. Astronomy: literally means the laws of the stars. It is a natural science that studies celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole.
5. Cosmology: is a branch of astronomy, studies the origin and evolution of the universe, from the Big Bang to today and on into the future
6. First stars: also known as “Population III stars”, they are too faint and none have ever been observed. The first stars contained only hydrogen and helium. The first stars most probably formed when the Universe was about 100 million years old, and they appeared prior to the formation of the first galaxies.
7. First galaxies: the first galaxies were probably formed around one billion years after the Big Bang.
8. Exoplanets: or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. Most exoplanets orbit stars other than the sun, however, free-floating exoplanets also called rogue planets, do exist and they orbit the galactic center and they are untethered to any star.
9. 50K: or 50 Kelvin = -233.15 °C – 0 Kelvin =-273.15 °C also known as absolute zero temperature.
10. Lagrange pointes: are positions in space where the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them.