James Webb Space Telescope
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James Webb Space Telescope
Subject – Science and Tech
Context – The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s largest space science telescope ever constructed, is scheduled to be sent into orbit no earlier than December 22, 2021.
Concept –
- The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s largest space science telescope ever constructed, is scheduled to be sent into orbit no earlier than December 22, 2021.
- One of the most important objects it will carry is a large mirror which will help collect light from the objects being observed.
- The Webb Telescope team has built a mirror that can fold up and fit into a rocket and then unfold in space.
- The primary mirror is made of 18 hexagonal-shaped mirror segments — each 1.32 metre in diameter — stitched together in a honeycomb pattern.
- When fully open it will be 6.5 metre in diameter. The Hubble Space Telescope’s mirror had a diameter of just 2.4 metre.
- Each mirror segment weighs approximately 20 kilograms and is made from beryllium.
- NASA explains that beryllium was used as it is both strong and light.
- Beryllium is a good conductor of electricity and heat and is not magnetic.
- NASA added that special care was taken when working with beryllium because it is unhealthy to breathe in or swallow beryllium dust.
- After the beryllium mirror segments were polished a thin coating of gold was applied to it. Gold helps improve the mirror’s reflection of infrared light.
- The James Webb Space Telescope will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe and peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems.
- It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.
- Webb is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
- The telescope will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in 2021.
- It is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s Flagship astrophysics mission.
To know more about James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), please refer July 2021 DPN.