What to Know About the James Webb Space Telescope

What to Know About the James Webb Space Telescope

In 2021, NASA plans to launch the James Webb Telescope into space to gather data about planets, galaxies and the origins of the universe. To build the telescope, NASA collaborated with over 300 organizations and universities in 14 different countries. In particular, NASA worked with the Canadian Space Agency and European Space Agency to build a telescope that could unlock some of the universe's biggest secrets.

What is the James Webb Space Telescope?

via Wikipedia

The James Webb Space Telescope is NASA's successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, which provides vibrant images of stars, galaxies and nebulas throughout the universe. According to Space.com, the James Webb Telescope is NASA's most powerful telescope to date.

The telescope cost $10 billion to build, but since the telescope could track the origins of our universe, the James Webb Telescope is worth the price tag. When the telescope launches, it will travel one million miles to reach the Lagrange point. From there, the telescope will orbit the sun and study light and galaxies from the birth of the universe.

Once the James Webb Telescope reaches its target, the telescope will perform scientific tests and take pictures of the universe, including stars, nebulas and galaxies. The Space Telescope Science Institute estimates that scientists will start receiving images six months after the launch. NASA expects the telescope to last anywhere from five to ten years.

Why Is the James Webb Telescope So Important?

As the successor to the Hubble Telescope, the James Webb Telescope will expand on existing research and provide new insights. The James Webb Telescope has the potential to provide scientists with incredible data, including the following:

  • Detailed images of planets and their atmospheres, which helps scientists determine if they could support life

  • Insights into the ways that nebulas give birth to stars

  • Pictures of galaxies that help scientists study their formation and evolution

  • Data about the Big Bang, particles like electrons and neutrons, and the beginnings of the universe

  • Images of distant galaxies, stars, comets, planets and debris that were once too far away to see

  • Observations that can only be viewed through infrared technology

  • Research into space objects that scientists viewed through ground telescopes

  • Insights about some of the oldest galaxies in the universe

The James Webb Telescope uses equipment like the Near-Infrared Camera, Near-Infrared Spectrograph, Mid-Infrared Instrument and Fine Guidance Sensor/Near InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph to capture data and images. With these tools, the telescope could theoretically answer some of the world's biggest questions and find evidence of life on other planets.

Who Was James Webb?

NASA named this telescope after James E. Webb, who was the administer of NASA from 1961 to 1968. Under Webb's guidance, NASA explored the cosmos with probes and robotic spacecraft. NASA completed over 75 missions to study the sun, stars, galaxies, planets and Earth's atmosphere. Webb retired a few months before United States astronauts landed on the moon in 1969.

During his career, Webb launched the NASA University Program, which offered grants for scientific research, new laboratories and graduate students. Webb aimed to develop a space program that didn't just win the space race but advanced scientific research. In 2002, NASA named the James Webb Telescope--formerly known as the Next Generation Space Telescope--in his honor.

When Is the James Webb Telescope Scheduled to Launch?

Currently, NASA has scheduled the James Webb Telescope for a December 25, 2021 launch date. Originally, NASA scheduled the launch for December 18, but technical issues forced them to change the date. NASA will launch the telescope in French Guiana, South America attached to the Ariane 5 rocket.

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