Enjoy these captivating images of deep space? This one was taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, one of the most advanced space instruments today.
(NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)
The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, is a large infrared telescope launched in December 2021. Jointly developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), it helps scientists answer questions about the history of the universe, possible extraterrestrial life, and more (NASA, n.d.).
(NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)
Technological Innovations
The telescope’s most distinct feature is its arrangement of 18 golden hexagonal mirrors. When unfolded from the spacecraft, it acts as a single large mirror to collect light from large distances. The mirror is made from beryllium, making it both strong and light, ideal for space travel (NASA, n.d.).
JWST’s Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) contains its main scientific instruments, including state-of-the-art infrared sensors and spectrographs. The light collected from the mirrors is converted into electrical signals measured as data. There are two types of sensors on the telescope: near-infrared and mid-infrared sensors. They enable different wavelengths of infrared radiation to be measured (NASA, n.d.).
Sunshields and cryogenic coolers exist onboard to keep the infrared sensors at a low temperature, ensuring their proper function (NASA, n.d.).
Discoveries: What information have scientists learned from JWST so far?
The telescope took its first ever direct image of an exoplanet in 2022. Because exoplanets are so far away and much fainter than the stars they orbit, they are notoriously difficult to capture directly. However, Webb’s sensitivity was able to separate the exoplanet, HIP 65426, from its brighter host star (Pultarova, 2022). This achievement opens up lots of possibilities of observing more exoplanets in greater detail.
In 2023, a group of international scientists used the JWST to detect a carbon molecule never before seen in space. The molecule was determined to be the methyl cation (CH3+), an important molecule in the formation of more complex carbon molecules, which are the building blocks of all known life (NASA Webb Telescope Team, 2023).
In June 2024, the telescope captured an image of the Serpens Nebula and observed the phenomenon of protostellar outflows, which are an important part of the formation of stars. The way the star and outflows align has confirmed astronomers’ assumptions about how stars form (NASA Webb Mission Team, 2024).
Conclusion
The James Webb Space Telescope has and will continue to help us understand the universe we live in, from the birth of stars and solar systems, to the search for worlds potentially habitable by life. The possibilities for deeper research that the telescope has opened up are certainly worth looking into!
Works Cited
Goddard Space Flight Center (n.d.). About Webb/NASA. [online] www.jwst.nasa.gov. Available at: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/index.html [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
Goddard Space Flight Center (2024). First of Its Kind Detection Made in Striking New Webb Image - NASA Science. [online] science.nasa.gov. Available at: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/first-of-its-kind-detection-made-in-striking-new-webb-image/#h- [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
Goddard Space Flight Center (n.d.). For Press Webb/NASA. [online] www.jwst.nasa.gov. Available at: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/forPress/index.html [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
Goddard Space Flight Center (n.d.). Instruments and ISIM (Integrated Science Instrument Module) Webb/NASA. [online] www.jwst.nasa.gov. Available at: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/observatory/instruments/index.html [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
NASA (2010). James Webb Space Telescope. [online] Nasa.gov. Available at: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
NASA (n.d.). Webb Home. [online] WebbTelescope.org. Available at: https://webbtelescope.org/home [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
NASA Webb Telescope Team (2023). Webb Makes First Detection of Crucial Carbon Molecule - NASA. [online] nasa.gov. Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/universe/webb-makes-first-detection-of-crucial-carbon-molecule/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
Pultarova, T. (2022). James Webb Space Telescope snags its 1st direct photo of an alien world. [online] Space.com. Available at: https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-exoplanet-image [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
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