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The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the universe, but it isn’t quite powerful enough to see some objects in great detail. That’s where the James Webb Space Telescope comes in, a new orbiting telescope that will offer scientists a new view of the universe and allow them to learn more about the formation of stars and planets, as well as how galaxies evolve over time. Here’s everything you need to know about this upcoming space telescope, including when it will launch and what it will be able to observe.
Meet the giant telescope
History of telescopes
People have been looking up at the sky and searching for answers to our universe's biggest questions for centuries. Ever since Galileo first pointed a small telescope up at our sun, people have used ever-improving technology to see farther into space than ever before. Today we use telescopes on both land and in space to answer our biggest questions about how we got here and where we are going, among others. In 2014, an ambitious new telescope will launch into space with these goals in mind. It is called the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and it is designed to be much more powerful than any other space telescope that has come before it. JWST’s size alone is impressive—it is larger than Hubble but also significantly lighter, weighing only 6.5 tons compared to Hubble’s 10 tons. It will also be able to observe light from much farther away, including light that has taken 13 billion years to reach us from when stars were born in our early universe. When JWST launches next year, it will look back even further still—to when galaxies were just beginning to form after their explosive births during the Big Bang itself.
What’s in it for me?
If you’re into Astronomy, Astrophysics, or even just space in general, there is no doubt that you’ve heard about Hubble Space Telescope. It was instrumental in mapping out our universe and revolutionizing how we viewed it. Soon NASA plans to launch a new version of Hubble that promises even more amazing discoveries. NASA has been kind enough to allow us an exclusive sneak peek at its plans for the future of space exploration with its successor—the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Here’s what you need to know about it. What does JWST do?: The JWST will be able to detect light from galaxies up to 13 billion years old, making it possible for scientists to study parts of space that have never been seen before. Its infrared capabilities will make it possible for astronomers and astrophysicists to see through dust clouds and observe distant planets around other stars. This telescope will also be able use powerful tools like spectroscopy on those planets. Spectroscopy is used by scientists as a way of studying chemical composition and temperature variations in celestial objects. It can also help us identify which elements are present on other planets in our solar system, including those which could support life as we know it here on Earth.
How does this telescope work?
Space telescopes are very expensive and their development is often delayed. The Hubble Space Telescope was first planned in 1946, but development was suspended between 1976 and 1979 due to budgetary issues and technical problems. It took 11 years to build! On top of all that, an optical error (design flaw) in Hubble was discovered during its initial test launch in 1990, which required it to be returned to Earth for repairs. As for NASA's successor to Hubble, known as JWST (James Webb Space Telescope), some have questioned whether or not it is worth investing time and money into a project that might never pay off. While others argue that space-based astronomy has historically been one of NASA’s most successful endeavors, with many discoveries leading to new scientific fields and technological advances. In short, if you’re going to spend $8 billion on anything in 2013, it should probably be space-based astronomy research. And while we don't know exactly what we'll find when JWST goes online in 2018, we do know that what we've found so far has changed our understanding of our universe forever.
Next steps - Set up on terra firma in Washington DC; get ready for lift off in 2018
The James Webb Space Telescope is a next-generation space observatory and successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be launched in 2018 atop an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana, South America. It will operate much farther from Earth than Hubble does – about 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) away at a point known as Lagrange Point 2. Unlike Hubble, it won't orbit Earth; instead, it will be stationed in deep space for at least five years. While it can’t match Hubble’s sharpness or resolution, Webb will look deeper into space and further back in time than any other telescope ever built. It also carries instruments that can study objects across a wide range of wavelengths—from infrared to near-infrared light to mid-infrared light to ultraviolet light.
Why is it named after an American President, who never went to space at all?
Back in October 2018, NASA's most expensive space telescope got its official name. It's called—wait for it—the James Webb Space Telescope. Though many probably didn't notice, it's named after former NASA administrator and former United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work is president and chief executive officer for Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency. Why? NASA gave us a rather non-descript answer: The late physicist Dr. James E. Webb was instrumental in transforming America’s fledgling space program into a successful enterprise, a statement from NASA read . That's true—but there is more to his name on our universe's biggest telescope than just that simple statement let on....
When will it be ready to launch and how much will it cost?
Although it has been in development for more than 15 years, if all goes well, NASA and its partners will launch a new telescope in October 2018. Dubbed JWST, for James Webb Space Telescope, it is named after a former NASA administrator. Its main mirror will be 21 feet (6.5 meters) across and weight 6,000 pounds (2,721 kilograms). It will study infrared light from distant galaxies to study how they formed billions of years ago. It will help scientists understand what makes up most of our universe - ordinary matter - as well as dark matter and dark energy.
Where will it be launched from and where will it land after its mission life ends?
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. No information available on where it will land after its mission life ends. It is a large space telescope that has many more capabilities than Hubble Space Telescope and will launch from French Guiana.
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