A NASA telescope has begun a space mission that will allow astronomers to study distant galaxies once thought to exist only in science fiction.
Scientists predict that the James Webb Space Telescope, launched on December 25, will reveal new insights into the origins of the universe. The telescope is equipped to examine the solar system in
details and explore distant galaxies that formed after the Big Bang billions of years ago.
The Webb is the largest and most powerful telescope of all time.
“The scientific promise of Webb is now closer than ever. We are on the brink of a truly exciting moment of discovery, of things we have never seen or imagined,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
The Webb will study all phases of cosmic history in the Earth’s solar system and many of the observable galaxies. Here are some other discoveries that the revolutionary telescope is expected to provide:
Astronomers will use Webb’s data to search for signs of life in distant galaxies. Researchers will be able to measure the size of distant black holes surrounded by large galaxies. Astronomers plan to use Webb to study 17 active planetary systems that took millions of years to form.
The Webb is unique because it can study the infrared light from distant objects in greater detail. Its final destination is about 1.6 million kilometers from Earth.
The telescope stands three stories tall, weighs over six and a half tons, and has a mirror that is 6.4 meters wide. The telescope’s sunshield, which is the size of a tennis court, will maintain a temperature of minus 191°C.
Because of its size, the telescope’s mirrors take a month to unfold. The telescope will provide its first images after six months in space.
The Webb, which cost $10 billion, continues the work of its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990. The mission is a partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. The Webb was launched from French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America.
The telescope’s name is a tribute to James Webb, a former NASA administrator in the 1960s.
Source: share.america.gov