James Webb Space Telescope

James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope is a big, special telescope that floats in space. It helps scientists look at stars, galaxies, and planets that are very far away. It can see things that are too old, too far, or too faint for other telescopes.

The telescope was launched on December 25, 2021, from Kourou in French Guiana. It was sent into space on an Ariane 5 rocket. It now orbits the Sun at a special spot called the L₂ Lagrange point, about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Its first pictures were shown to the world on July 11, 2022.

The James Webb Space Telescope is much bigger than the Hubble Space Telescope. Its primary mirror is almost 6.5 meters across—much larger than Hubble’s. The mirror is made of 18 hexagonal mirror segments coated in gold and made from beryllium. To see clearly, the telescope must stay very cold, below 50 K. A special five-layer sunshield keeps it shaded from the heat of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Because it looks at infrared light, the telescope can see older, farther, and dimmer objects than the Hubble Space Telescope. It can study the first stars and galaxies, how galaxies change over time, how stars and planets are born, and even look for planets that might support life. The telescope helps scientists learn about the early universe and objects hidden by dust and gas.