James Webb Telescope
The James Webb space telescope is the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built. It will allow scientists to look at what our universe was like about 200 million years after the big bang. The telescope will be able to capture images of some of the first galaxies ever found it will also be able to observe objects in our solar system from mars outward, look inside dust clouds to see where new stars and planets are forming, and examine the atmosphere of planets orbiting other stars.
The JWST sees the universe in light that is invisible to human eyes this light is called infrared radiation, and we can feel it as heat. Firefighters use infrared cameras to see and rescue people through the smoke in a fire. The JWST will use its infrared cameras to see through dust in our universe. Stars and planets form inside those dust clouds, so peaking inside could lead to exciting new discoveries! It will also be able to see objects so far away that the universe's expansion has made their light shift from visible to infrared! The web telescope cameras are sensitive to heat from the sun.
The Webb has a sun shield to protect its instruments and mirrors. The temperature difference between the sun-facing and shaded signs of the telescope is more than 600 degrees Fahrenheit! Space telescopes “See” by using mirrors to collect and focus light from distant stars. Webb telescope has 18 smaller mirrors that fit together. The mirrors fold up inside the rocket, then unfold to form one large mirror in orbit. Our solar system is the only home for planets! Scientists have discovered thousands of planets orbiting stars other than the sun. These are called exoplanets. The James Webb space telescope will help to study the atmospheres of exoplanets. Could the atmosphere of some exoplanets hold the building blocks for life? We will find out soon!
