In addition to looking at far-off stars, galaxies, and exoplanets, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will examine our Solar System. Credit: Northrup Grumman
The James Webb Space Telescope is the next excellent area science observatory, created to address exceptional questions about the Universe and to make breakthrough discoveries in all fields of astronomy.
Introduced in December 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europes Spaceport in French Guiana, Webb is developed and constructed to use researchers the abilities required to press the frontiers of understanding in many areas of astronomy. This includes research study on our own Solar System, the development of planets and stars (consisting of planets outside our Solar System– exoplanets), and how galaxies are formed and develop, in ways never prior to possible.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be the next terrific area science observatory, designed to answer impressive concerns about deep space and to make advancement discoveries in all fields of astronomy. Credit: ESA/Hubble, Northrup Grumman
The James Webb Space Telescope is an international project led by NASA in partnership with ESA and the Canadian Space Agency. In addition to offering the Ariane 5 rocket and launch services to bring the telescope into area, ESA is also supplying instruments for the telescope in addition to scientists who will support the missions operations.
This consists of the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument, the workhorse near-infrared spectrograph onboard Webb, which is supplied entirely by ESA. The primary objective of NIRSpec is to make it possible for large spectroscopic studies of huge things such as stars or remote galaxies. This is made possible by its effective multi-object spectroscopy mode.
ESA is also supporting the arrangement of the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) instrument, the only instrument on the telescope that is capable of running at mid-infrared wavelengths. It will support the entire variety of Webbs science goals, from observing our own Solar System and other planetary systems, to studying the early Universe. MIRI is a versatile instrument providing a broad set of modes.
James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: ESA/Hubble, Northrup Grumman
Compared to Hubbles 2.4-meter (8-foot) primary mirror, Webb is equipped with a primary mirror that spans 6.5 meters (21 feet) in size. While Hubble is placed in Earth orbit at an altitude of roughly 570 kilometers (350 miles), Webb is orbiting a point in area beyond the orbit of the Moon understood as a Lagrange point, approximately 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth.
We invite you to see this Hubblecast video that checks out how Hubbles observations differ throughout different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, and how these observations will be matched by those of the James Webb Space Telescope.
It will support the whole range of Webbs science objectives, from observing our own Solar System and other planetary systems, to studying the early Universe. Webb will observe the Universe at wavelengths longer than visible light, specifically in the near-infrared and mid-infrared. Compared to Hubbles 2.4-meter (8-foot) main mirror, Webb is geared up with a main mirror that spans 6.5 meters (21 feet) in diameter. While Hubble is placed in Earth orbit at an elevation of around 570 kilometers (350 miles), Webb is orbiting a point in area beyond the orbit of the Moon known as a Lagrange point, approximately 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth.