The James Webb Space Telescope, the next Hubble

NASA has announced the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at 7.20 am EST (5.50 pm India time) on December 24. Webb, the world’s premier space science observatory, will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA’s flagship telescope that has been in service for over thirty years now. According to NASA, Webb is not […]

NASA has announced the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at 7.20 am EST (5.50 pm India time) on December 24. Webb, the world’s premier space science observatory, will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA’s flagship telescope that has been in service for over thirty years now.

According to NASA, Webb is not Hubble’s replacement — rather, its successor whose science goals were motivated by the results from Hubble. Webb will primarily study the universe in the infrared, while Hubble looks at it mainly at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths. Webb’s mirror is much larger than Hubble’s; it can, therefore, look farther back into time than Hubble. Also, Hubble is in a much closer orbit around Earth than Webb will be.

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James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful infrared telescope of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It is also considered a successor of the Hubble Telescope and will extend and complement its discoveries.

Multi-agency collaboration

The telescope is the result of an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency. Webb will reveal new and unexpected discoveries, and help humanity understand the origins of the universe and our place in it.

The telescope will study the atmospheres of a wide diversity of exoplanets. It will also search for atmospheres similar to Earth’s, and for the signatures of key substances such as methane, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and complex organic molecules, in hopes of finding the building blocks of life.

Launch

It will be launched on an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from French Guiana in South America. The Ariane 5 is believed to be one of the most reliable launch vehicles.

Goal

To search for the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. To determine how galaxies evolved from their earlier formation until now.

To observe the formation of stars from the first stages to the formation of planetary systems.

To measure the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems and investigate the potential for life in such systems.

Hubble Space Telescope

Launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has made more than 1.4 million observations, including tracking interstellar objects, capturing a comet colliding with Jupiter, and discovering moons around Pluto.

Hubble has captured galaxies merging, probed supermassive black holes and has helped us understand the history of our universe.

JWST v/s Hubble

Features	James Webb Space Telescope	Hubble Space Telescope
Wavelength	The JWST will observe primarily in the infrared range and provide coverage from 0.6 to 28 microns.	The instruments on Hubble see mainly in the ultraviolet and visible part of the spectrum. It could observe only a small range in the infrared from 0.8 to 2.5 microns
Size:	Webb’s primary mirror has a diameter of 6.5 metres. Webb also carries a large sun shield.	Hubble’s mirror was much smaller – 2.4 metres in diameter
Distance:	Webb’s near- and mid-infrared instruments will help study the first formed galaxies, exoplanets and birth of stars.	Hubble can see the equivalent of “toddler galaxies” while Webb Telescope will be able to see “baby galaxies”.

 

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