Do you like space? Do you like Telescopes? Or maybe, you like both!
In the following article we are going to talk about the amazing one and only “James Webb Space Telescope JWST” .
Content
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- Introduction
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- Space Telescopes
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- James Webb Space Telescope
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- What makes the James Webb Telescope so special?
Introduction
The telescope was invented in the beginning of the 17th century, and since then there have been many enormous improvements, advancements and amazing discoveries regarding it.
A Telescope is a tool or device that allows us to see distant objects that can not be seen with our naked eyes. Thus, we use telescopes mostly to look at stars in the outer space. Looking at stars have always been a magical experience for many people throughout the years. You must have wondered at least once in your life about what’s really out there in space, or for example whether the universe has an end or not.
Space Telescopes
You’re maybe wondering, if telescopes that exist on earth allow us to see distant objects in space, then why build a space telescope and send it into space?
Well, on earth, there are many good and excellent observatories that have really good equipment that can take a lot of amazing photographs of outer space. But These observatories still have a limit to how far they can see. A space telescope that exists in outer space will be able to see much further and even take pictures of faraway galaxies.
Space telescope are better than ones on earth because they exist on space where light gathered from faraway objects does not suffer from the effects of the earth’s atmosphere.
James Webb Space Telescope
James webb Space Telescope was not the first telescope to be sent into space. On April 24, 1990 The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space .The Hubble Telescope was the first telescope to be sent into space, and it has done a magnificent job .The Hubble Telescope has taken many important and wonderful pictures throughout the last twenty years.
However, the human mind is always curious and it wants to know more and more about everything. The technological advances that we’ve witnessed in the last couple of decades, made it possible to think about building an even better, bigger and much more capable telescope, The James Webb Telescope.
What makes The James Webb Telescope so special?
The James Webb Space Telescope is NASA’s next orbiting observatory and the
successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. A tennis court-sized telescope orbiting far beyond Earth’s moon, Webb will detect infrared radiation and be capable of seeing in that wavelength as well as Hubble sees in visible light.
Infrared radiation is an invisible radiation to the human eye, but it works much better for space telescopes than the visible light.
With a mirror towering more than two stories high, Webb will be the largest
observatory ever sent into space. The Webb telescope will function as a single observatory, but it is actually made up of three distinct elements: the Integrated Science Instrument Model (ISIM), which houses the telescope’s powerful instruments; the Optical Telescope Element, which collects and focuses the faint infrared light from deep space; and the Spacecraft Element. The Spacecraft Element contains the sunshield and the Spacecraft Bus, which holds major subsystems like communications, electrical power, command and data handling, propulsion, thermal control and attitude control. Because Webb will be in such a distant orbit, servicing maintenance missions similar to those on the Hubble Space Telescope are impossible. To compensate, Webb will have a special subsystem that will correct for any errors in the optics of the telescope. This system, known as a ‘wavefront sensing and control subsystem’, is similar to the sophisticated adaptive optics technologies used on ground-based telescopes. But as adaptive optics take out the twinkling of starlight, Webb’s system will ensure that the entire telescope has a crisp and clear vision.
There are absolutely much more fascinating information about The James Webb Space Telescope that we will talk about in coming articles.
The International Board For Education And Culture
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