The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a powerful space telescope designed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and is expected to enrich our knowledge and understanding of the universe. The telescope was launched on December 25, 2021, from French Guiana. It was a highly anticipated and complex mission due to the telescope’s size and fragility. After launch, the telescope deployed its solar umbrella to function properly. It reached the second Lagrange point (L2) a month or so later. In this orbit some 1.5 million kilometers away it can maintain a fixed position relative to Earth as it observes the universe.
Its design began in 1996 as a “New Generation Telescope” while plans for the launch had existed since 2007, with a one billion US dollars budget. James Webb was the second appointed administrator of NASA.
JWST has a primary mirror made up of 18 separate sections, or “panels,” which combine to create the mirror’s overall optical disc. This arrangement allows JWST to have a large mirror with a mirror diameter of about 6.5 meters. This mirror allows light to be collected and focused for JWST’s space observations.
JWST’s primary focus is on the infrared (0.6–28.3 mm) since it can see through clouds of dust and gas, giving clearer images of objects and better resolution of distant objects. This allows the study of the first galaxies, the formation of stars, and the detecting of distant exoplanets.
Some of the most enchanting images he has given us are:
