James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope, also known as JWST, is a space telescope that is currently under construction. It is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. JWST will be the largest and most powerful telescope ever built. It will be able to see further and clearer than any other telescope before it. The James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch in 2021.

What is the James Webb Space Telescope?

The James Webb Space Telescope is a space Observatory that is being built by NASA. It is named after James E. Webb, who was the Administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968. The telescope is designed to be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, and it will be the largest and most powerful telescope ever made.

The James Webb Space Telescope will be launched into orbit around the Sun, where it will observe distant objects in infrared light. It will be able to see things that are too faint or too far away for even the Hubble Space Telescope to see.

The telescope is being built by Northrop Grumman, and it is scheduled to launch in October of 2018.

What are its features?

The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the aging Hubble Space Telescope. It is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope that will be launched into low Earth orbit in October 2018. The Webb telescope is designed to observe the most distant objects in the Universe, and will be able to see the first stars and galaxies that formed after the Big Bang.

The Webb telescope has a primary mirror that is 6.5 meters (21 feet) in diameter, making it about 2.5 times larger than Hubble's mirror. The larger size will allow Webb to collect more light than Hubble, which will enable it to see fainter objects and details in those objects that were not visible with Hubble.

Webb also has a significantly different design than Hubble. While Hubble has two mirrors (a primary and secondary), Webb only has one primary mirror. Instead of a secondary, Webb has an array of hexagonal mirrors (called "hexagonals") that act as reflective eyepieces. This design allows Webb to collect more light than would be possible with just two mirrors, while still maintaining a compact footprint.

Finally, Webb will be equipped with state-of-the-art instruments that are sensitive to infrared light. This will allow it to see through dust clouds that block visible light, making it possible to study some of the earliest and most distant objects in the Universe.

Why was it designed?

The James Webb Space Telescope was designed to be the premier observatory of the next generation, capable of seeing further into the universe and with greater clarity than any telescope before it. Its primary mirror is nearly seven times the size of the Hubble Space Telescope's, and its infrared capabilities will allow it to peer through dust and gas that block visible light, to see objects that are otherwise invisible.

When will it be launched?

The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in October 2018 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.

What are its benefits?

The James Webb Space Telescope is an incredible piece of technology that has a multitude of benefits. For one, it will allow astronomers to peer back in time and see the very first stars and galaxies that formed in the early universe. Additionally, it will provide unprecedented views of planets around other stars, helping us to better understand how our own solar system came to be. Finally, the telescope's advanced infrared capabilities will allow us to study the atmospheres of exoplanets and search for signs of life. In short, the James Webb Space Telescope promises to revolutionize our understanding of the universe we live in.

Alternatives to the James Webb Space Telescope

As the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) approaches, astronomers are getting excited about the unprecedented view of the universe that it will provide. However, there are other telescopes in operation and under construction that will also be providingnew and exciting data in the coming years.

One alternative to JWST is the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ALMA is a network of 66 radio telescopes located in Chile that observe millimeter and submillimeter wavelength light. This light is emitted by cold objects like molecular clouds, star-forming regions, and dusty galaxies. Because ALMA can detect this type of light, it is able to see some of the most distant and faintest galaxies in the universe.

Another alternative is the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). LSST is a wide-field optical telescope that is currently under construction in Chile. When it begins operations in 2022, LSST will survey the sky quickly and deeply. It will obtain images of 20 billion galaxies out to distances of 10 billion light-years. These data will be used to study dark energy, dark matter, and many other astrophysical phenomena.

So while JWST will provide an unprecedented view of infrared light from distant galaxies, there are other telescopes that complement JWST's observations by providing data at other wavelengths.

Conclusion

The James Webb Space Telescope is an incredible feat of engineering and science, and it has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe. It is also an international collaboration, with contributions from many different countries. The telescope is scheduled to launch in 2021, and we can't wait to see what it will discover.