Welcome the James Webb Telescope – The New Hubble telescope!
The James Webb Telescope is set to become the New Hubble telescope! Without a doubt, the James Webb Telescope will soon become the best telescope in the world! The James Webb Telescope aims to achieve an even deeper understanding of our universe.
Just when you were wondering what else could possibly be achieved in the field of astronomy; scientists have announced that plans are well advanced for a successor to the Hubble telescope, which has been designed to be the best telescope in the world, and one of the most sophisticated pieces of scientific instrumentation in the world. Known as the James Webb Space Telescope, the sole aim of this latest astronomer’s dream is be able to peer even deeper into the depths of the universe and to continue the exploration which is currently conducted using the famous Hubble telescope.
Similar to the Hubble Telescope, the James Webb telescope will be launched into orbit around Earth, but distant enough to escape the atmospheric aberrations which place a restriction on the clarity of Earth bound telescopes. And that is why the James Webb telescope will the best telescope in the world, or out of this world! But launching a delicate instrument such as a telescope into outer space does not come cheaply, nor without risk, and this is what scientists will be up against. The total life cycle cost of the James Webb telescope is about $US8.8 billion, but it’s a small price to pay for the amount of information that is expected to be gained over the life of this incredible piece of scientific instrumentation.
What will the James Webb telescope be able to see?
Hopefully the James Webb telescope will be able to observe things in the depths of the universe that have never been seen before. The best telescope in the world is designed with dual vision capability. By using infrared vision and advanced technology, scientists expect to be able to look deeper and further into the universe than what we’ve previously been able to. This means they will be able to focus on extremely small objects, and to analyse aspects of those objects to glean the tiniest pieces of information, going all the way back to the start of the universe more than 11 billion years ago.
The timing is perfect for astronomy
The timing for this newest astronomical and scientific advance could not be better, as firstly, the Hubble telescope is currently the best telescope in the world, but has just about reached the limit of its ultimate potential, having revealed far more to science than originally thought possible. Secondly, there have been many significant discoveries from the depths of outer space in recent times, such as the incredible advances made in the search for other planets. Not only have scientists been able to find an unending number of other planets around our neighboring stars, but now scientists have decided to home right in on the habitable regions around these stars, such that in the future, an Earth like planet may be located and explored in more detail.
Are we alone in the universe?
That is where the James Webb space telescope comes in – scientists are looking forward to the time when they can begin to answer the single greatest question in the universe – does life exist on other planets? The best telescope in the world is a major step in the direction of being able to search for the answer to that question.
What technology will drive the James Webb telescope?
The James Webb telescope will employ infrared sensors to investigate deeper into the universe than we can currently see. The Hubble Telescope uses the visible light spectrum and therefore can only see what is visible to the human eye. The James Webb telescope is the best telescope in the world and will able to see that which is beyond the visible light spectrum and therefore will be able to gather more information than simply the visible.
The James Web Telescope is a precision instrument
Like traditional telescopes the James Webb Space telescope does have large mirrors in order to gather images from the depths of space. The mirrors are designed to be folded up inside the space vehicle, and as soon as the vehicle reaches orbit, the telescope will deploy the mirrors which will unfold and point skywards. Despite the rigors of shooting into space on a rocket, zooming at great speed around the Earth, and all of this miles up the sky, the James Webb telescope is the best telescope in the world, made up of extremely finely tuned instruments, which are extremely accurate, in order to make the finest of measurements of the universe.
These mirrors will seek those hidden gems that we know are out there somewhere, but in the meantime, may help to answer some of the myriad of questions that scientists and astronomers have always been asking about the universe, and what is our small part of this much wider space.
Stand by for more news about the James Webb Space telescope which is due for launch sometime later in 2018. I can’t wait to see the images from the best telescope in the world!
