Hi! This is Zahra, one of the blog authors here on the STEM Hub. I will be regularly writing articles and posting any articles sent over here. My articles will mainly follow any space news, but who knows. Space is a very interesting topic, and new discoveries are made all the time. Anyway, thanks for reading!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The James Webb Space Telescope officially launched on the 25th of December 2021 and began its 1-million-mile journey to the Lagrange point, where it will stop and peer further into the universe than we have ever seen before.
The telescope had been in development for the last 20 years in preparation for this launch. It is designed to use infrared rays to detect much further into the universe than the current most advanced telescope – the Hubble telescope – can see. Given that the Hubble telescope can currently see up to 15 billion light years away, the James Webb Space Telescope has the potential to see what the universe looked like just after the Big Bang occurred, and how stars and galaxies began to form just after it.
By detecting infrared light being emitted, the telescope will be able to see stars, nebulae and planets that would otherwise be too cool or faint to be detected properly, as well as see through any dust or gas that would normally get in the way of our view.
Being able to detect what galaxies looked like when first forming could also allow us to see how it develops, especially in comparison to our own. It will also allow us to view how the different celestial bodies form and change over a much longer period. Finally, there is potential for the telescope to detect exoplanets and look for any signs of life further out in the universe.
The way the telescope functions involves being kept at below –223 degrees Celsius, meaning it will be easily damaged by the Sun’s rays. To combat this, the telescope has a sunshield – to protect the equipment from the heat of the Sun, as well as a cryocooler to keep the equipment frozen.
Mirrors are the main aspect of the telescope. These are used to reflect the light from 6 hexagonal mirrors to the central detectors, in the middle of the mirror. This is connected to an antenna used to relay the information gained back to Earth.
The detection equipment includes cameras and sensors are used specifically to detect infrared radiation reflected into them by the mirrors and allows them to be interpreted by any scientists who receive the information sent.
The backplane is the component that holds everything together, and hold the mirrors almost perfectly still – as though you are trying to peer through a camera. The shakier the lens is, the worse your vision through it is. By keeping the telescope at such low temperatures, it has been perfected to be steady down to 32 nanometers, which is only as wide as a few bacteria.
The telescope will orbit around a Lagrange Point, specifically L2. A Lagrange Point is a point where the gravity from the Earth and the Sun are equal, and this specific point will mean the telescope will always be in Earth’s shadow. This will allow the telescope to have a clear view of the cosmos, although it will be very difficult to conduct repairs.
This telescope is the next step in astronomical discovery and over its 10-year expected lifespan, it is hoped to give us much more information about our universe than we have ever known before.
Comments