So what does the James Webb Telescope, which will be orbiting 1 million miles from Earth, have to do with the Big Bang? Plenty, actually. The telescope will allow scientists to see farther into the past than ever before, revealing previously unknown details about our universe’s formation and expansion. It could even answer some of cosmology’s biggest questions, like how many galaxies there are in the universe and how much dark matter there is out there. The telescope may even help scientists find direct evidence of gravitational waves, which would confirm the theory of inflation and link two of modern science’s biggest ideas together.
The Journey To The Stars
The next big space telescope won’t peer into deep space — it will focus on our very own solar system, including Earth and its surrounding planets. Despite its name, NASA’s new infrared telescope, dubbed James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), isn’t actually named after a specific person. It takes its name from one of NASA’s past administrators who oversaw some of the most important missions in our history, including Apollo 11 and Pioneer 10. In honor of his contributions to astronomy and space exploration, NASA has decided to name their newest telescope after him. But why would we need such a powerful tool if we already have Hubble? What is it going to do that Hubble can’t? And when will JWST launch? Read on to find out more about what JWST is, what it isn’t, how it works and why you should be excited for its arrival in 2018!
Where Does Our Universe Come From?
The multi-billion dollar, 27-foot telescope, named after a NASA administrator who championed it before his death in 1992, is set to launch from French Guiana atop an Ariane rocket in 2018. Once it enters its designated orbit roughly 1 million miles from Earth, it will embark on a mission to peer back into time and gather data about some of our universe’s earliest moments. It will also gather data about exoplanets that exist outside our solar system. In other words, for less than $10 per month you can follow along with one of humankind’s greatest endeavors: understanding how we got here and where we might be going next. What could be more exciting than that? (And if nothing else, imagine being able to say you followed space exploration news when a major discovery was made.)
How Do We Study The Formation Of Galaxies?
The expansion of space-time that happened during and after the Big Bang is still causing galaxies to move away from one another at an accelerating pace. This means that looking for evidence of early galaxy formation is like trying to identify a place on Earth by studying distant stars in a rearview mirror. The farther back in time we look, the harder it gets to see what’s happening because everything is moving away from us so quickly. To study some of these very early events, scientists are planning to use a new telescope called JWST (formally known as WFIRST), which will be able to detect light that has been traveling through space since shortly after the universe was born. If all goes according to plan, JWST will be launched into orbit around 2019 and could shed light on some of these unanswered questions about our universe’s history.
What are Gravitational Waves?
Gravitational waves, or GWs, are disturbances in space-time that occur when two massive objects orbit each other—for instance, a binary star system (two stars orbiting one another), or two black holes. They were first predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity; his equations showed how gravity could be transmitted through space-time like ripples in a pond. But even though we knew they existed, it wasn’t until 2015 that scientists confirmed their existence with an experiment called LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory). The discovery was announced on 11 February 2016.
From a Black Hole to A New World
It’s no surprise that a telescope as impressive and monumental as the James Webb is named after a famed scientist. But many people are unaware of just how significant Dr. James E. Webb was to astronomy, science and space exploration in general. In honor of his birthday, here are 5 lesser-known facts about NASA’s latest—and greatest—space telescope 1. James Webb was an astronomer at heart: Before he became one of America’s most famous scientists, Dr. James E. Webb spent much of his time observing stars through telescopes he built himself with spare parts from war surplus stores. He even managed to capture a few images using the world’s largest camera lens, which he had mounted on a homemade mountaintop observatory! (Source: National Space Society) 2.
Why Are We Studying The Beginning Of Time?
Scientists have not been able to get much information from before 380,000 years after the beginning of time—but that’s all about to change. In 2018, a new telescope will launch into space and will allow us to observe light from when time began in greater detail than ever before. This is exciting news for scientists who are interested in learning more about how our universe came to be. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is named after NASA scientist Dr. James E. Webb, who was an instrumental part of getting Apollo 11 off the ground (literally). The JWST will be able to help scientists answer questions like: How did galaxies form? How did stars begin?
What Can We Expect To Learn From A Revolutionary Space Telescope?
Before its scheduled launch in 2018, engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center are hard at work testing out its primary mirror segment, which will eventually help transform it into one of the most advanced space telescopes ever created. A product of a joint collaboration between NASA, CNES (the French space agency) and ESA (the European Space Agency), Hubble’s successor is poised to further our understanding of where we came from.
How Will This Affect Astronomy In General?
The big thing to remember about Webb, is that it’s not just one telescope. Rather, it’s an array of four scientific instruments that together will be used to study a broad range of phenomena and objects throughout space. According to NASA, all four instruments work together to maximize coverage in different parts of both visible and infrared light spectrums. This will allow scientists to see deeper into space than ever before. In addition, Webb has been designed with multiple layers of sunshielding materials that protect its sensitive equipment from heat and radiation emitted by our own Sun. This means we should be able to get better images of stars and galaxies much further away than ever before.
Where Will We Go From Here?
The Hubble telescope has provided us with some of most iconic photos in astronomy. However, while Hubble continues to provide valuable data, scientists are looking ahead to more ambitious space missions like NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which was developed by a partnership between NASA, ESA and CSA. Scheduled for launch in 2018, JWST will be able to see deeper into space than ever before. It will also study mysterious phenomena such as dark matter and dark energy that cannot be observed from Earth-based telescopes due to light pollution from our planet’s atmosphere. With new technology comes new questions; what will we learn from JWST? How will it affect our understanding of our universe?
