The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
It is the ingrained feature of humankind to discover the world and quench its thirst by discovering and inventing new things. Throughout History, people have utilized telescopes to study celestial bodies just as Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter and Kepler discovered the famous Kepler laws, to study planetary systems, and so on.
In the 21st century, however, using technology humanity has exceeded far beyond just using telescopes from the earth. Rather, it started placing them in earth’s orbits to observe stellar bodies much more efficiently and without any environmental disturbances. The well-known Hubble Space Telescope [launched on April 24, 1990] was placed in earth orbit at a distance of 535 km approx(Green et al., 2016). and now the historic launching of JWST on December 25, 2021, is poised to continue the legacy
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a revolutionary space observatory that promises to significantly advance our understanding of the universe. What differentiates it from its predecessor is that it is sensitive to the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum and has already taken pictures of celestial bodies in the infrared region, which has shaken the minds of astronomy enthusiasts all over the world and it will continue to unveil much more data.
Design and manufacturing details
Let us talk about its design and manufacturing details briefly:
JWST is a large, sun-shielded, infrared-optimized space telescope that operates in a unique orbit around the second Lagrange point (L2), located about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. The sun shield, which is roughly the size of a tennis court, protects the telescope from heat and allow it to observe at longer infrared wavelengths, which are essential for studying the universe's first galaxies and stars.(Gardner et al., 2006)
JWST's primary mirror is made of 18 hexagonal segments, each made of a beryllium-based material, and measures 6.5 meters in diameter, making it more than 2.5 times larger than Hubble's mirror. The large mirror size and advanced infrared capabilities allow JWST to detect and study faint and distant objects with unparalleled sensitivity. The telescope is equipped with four main scientific instruments: the Near InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), the Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec), the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), and the Fine Guidance Sensor/Near InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (FGS/NIRISS). These instruments work together to perform a wide range of observations.
Collaboration across geography
JWST's manufacturing process is a collaborative effort between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp manufactured the primary mirror, while Northrop Grumman built the sun shield. A team of international scientists and engineers from NASA, ESA, CSA, and other institutions developed the scientific instruments. The integration of the various components and scientific instruments was completed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Institutional Partners Webb/NASA, n.d.)
Potentials and expectations of JWST
The question arises. What is the potential of this telescope and why was it built?
JWST has the potential to significantly impact our understanding of the universe. One of its main goals is to study the formation and evolution of galaxies and stars, which will provide insights into how the universe evolved from its earliest moments to the present day. JWST's advanced capabilities will allow it to detect the light from the universe's first galaxies and stars, which formed shortly after the Big Bang, and study their properties in detail. This information will help astronomers better understand the processes that led to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems.
Another vital area of study for JWST is the search for habitable exoplanets, which are planets outside of our solar system that might be capable of supporting life. JWST will be able to detect the atmospheres of exoplanets and search for the signature of life, such as the presence of water vapor, oxygen, and methane. This information will be crucial for determining the potential habitability of exoplanets and will provide insights into the diversity of planetary systems and the likelihood of finding life elsewhere in the universe.(Gardner, 2012)
JWST will also study the physical and chemical properties of comets, asteroids, and Kuiper Belt objects, which are small, icy bodies that orbit the Sun beyond Neptune. These objects are thought to be leftover building blocks from the early solar system and can provide valuable information about the conditions and processes that led to the formation
Light from celestial objects takes years to reach us, meaning that we observe them as they were in the past. This is because light travels at a speed of approximately 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum and is measured in light years, which is equal to 9.461 trillion kilometers. The light enters our eyes and is focused by the lens onto the retina, forming an image that is processed by the brain.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is capable of looking back in time to observe the universe when it was just a few hundred million years old. It is expected to provide us with insights into the conditions of the universe shortly after the Big Bang, which occurred about 13.8 billion years ago. By observing light that has taken billions of years to reach us, JWST has the potential to observe the universe when it was just a few hundred million years old, or about 1% of its current age. By observing distant galaxies and stars, JWST will help us better understand the formation and evolution of the first galaxies, stars, and planetary systems.
SUGGESTION: It is recommended that individuals seeking additional knowledge on the remarkable capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) visit the provided link for comprehensive information.
https://webb.nasa.gov/content/features/educational/eBooks.html
REFERENCES
NASA. (n.d.). Science with the James Webb Space Telescope. Retrieved February 11, 2023, from https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/science/index.html
Gardner, J. P., Clampin, M., Doyon, R., & Kalas, P. (2006). The James Webb Space Telescope. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 118(850), 1486-1505. Doi:10.1086/508457
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS). (2012). The James Webb Space Telescope. Doi: 20120015054.
Green, J. D., Smith, D. A., Lawton, B. L., Jirdeh, H., & Meinke, B. K. (2016, January). Preparing the Public for JWST. In American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts# 227 (Vol. 227, pp. 229-04).
