James Webb Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope is a telescope of NASA. It is to be launched in December 2021. The telescope is to act as the Premier Observatory of NASA for the next decade. The telescope was developed by European Space Agency, NASA and Canadian Space Agency.
What is James Webb Space Telescope?
- The James Webb Space Telescope is a large infrared telescope. It will study every phase in the history of universe. This includes formation of solar system, Big Bang and other theories that support life on other planets.
- The Telescope is capable of looking about the past such as the first galaxies formed in the early universe through its longer wavelengths. These wavelengths will help the telescope to peer inside dust clouds from where the planets and stars are formed.
- The telescope is to travel at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from the earth.
- The telescope is to be launched in Ariane 5 ECA rocket from French Guiana in South America. The rocket is from the European Space Agency.
What are the goals of James Webb Space Telescope?
The four main goals are as follows:
- To search for the first galaxies formed after Big Bang.
- To determine how galaxies evolved from their earlier formation
- To observe the formation of stars from the first stages
- To measure the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems
What are the four major science instruments carried by James Webb Space Telescope?
Near Infrared Camera, Mid Infrared Instrument, Near Infrared Spectrograph, Slitless Specttrograph and Near Infrared Imager.
How is James Webb Space Telescope related to Hubble Telescope?
It is the successor of Hubble Telescope.
What are the controversies around James Webb Space Telescope?
James Webb, after whom the telescope is named purged LGBT people from the workforce during his tenure as NASA administrator. Thus, four prominent astronomers of US launched petition to change its name.
