NASA’s Webb Takes: The Hubble Space Telescope, which is the oldest of the three observatories in orbit around Earth, has been a household name since its launch in 1990. In its nearly 25 years of service, it has taken an incredible haul of observations and images of the universe. However, thanks to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This well-known telescope will soon be getting a brand new moniker – The Hubble Reducer!
How did the Webb Space Telescope work?
NASA’s Webb Space Telescope has taken its first-ever direct image of a distant world, revealing a stunning view of the icy moon Enceladus. The Webb telescope was launch in March 2018 and is orbiting the Earth. It was design to study the origins and evolution of stars and galaxies. To take this image. Webb use a special filter that allows only light from Enceladus to pass through. The resulting picture is a mosaic of dozens of individual images that were then combine into one composite image.
Enceladus is an icy moon that orbits Saturn. It has a diameter of just 10 kilometers (6 miles), but it is cover with water ice so deep that it could conceivably host life. Scientists believe that Enceladus may have been able to support life when it was warmer, billions of years ago. This image gives scientists their best chance yet to explore what might be happening inside Enceladus’ icy surface. The data obtain from Webb will help them understand how much energy is being release by the moon’s geysers and whether or not there are any significant amounts of water vapor erupting from the surface.
What is the James Webb Space Telescope?
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a NASA flagship space telescope being develop to observe the most distant objects in the Universe. JWST will be the most powerful observatory in space. Able to see back to the first few minutes after the Big Bang.
JWST is a three-mirror telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror and is expect to operate for at least five years once it has been launch into space. The telescope will be mounte on an Ariane 5 rocket and will have a launch mass of about 2,300 kilograms. When operational, JWST will be the largest and most advance space telescope ever built and will revolutionize our understanding of the Universe.
Why did NASA choose to name the spacecraft after Edwin P. Hubble?
Hubble was known for his contributions to the field of astronomy. Most notably his discovery of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990. The telescope’s unique design and impressive capabilities have led to its widespread use throughout the scientific community. NASA chose to name the spacecraft after Edwin P. Hubble because of his groundbreaking work in astronomy and his dedication to advancing knowledge about space. Learn more about Hubble and his contributions to astronomy in this NASA video:
What was the first image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope?
On January 25, 2019, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) took its first-ever direct image of a distant world. The image was capture by the telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Which is locate in the observatory’s science instrument module. The image was taken of the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star known as LHS 1140, about 7,500 light years from Earth.
This protoplanetary disk is full of gas and dust, and is thought to be where planets are born. The JWST is a powerful telescope that will help us learn more about the origins and evolution of our solar system. The image is available to view online. The first image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope was of the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star known as LHS 1140.
How does it compare to other images sent back from space telescopes?
NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes have sent back thousands of images of planets and other objects in our solar system, but until now. No telescope has ever taken a direct image of a distant world. On March 24, 2019, NASA’s Webb Space Telescope capture an image of the planet Mercury from its orbit around the sun. The image shows the surface features of Mercury. Including its largest crater, Caloris Basin. This is the first time that a space telescope has capture an image of Mercury from such close range.
The image of Mercury was taken using the telescope’s advance instruments. Including the Near-Infrare Spectrometer and the High Resolution Infrar Spectrometer. These instruments are able to see details on the surface that are too small to be seen by other telescopes. Hubble’s image of the planet Venus was taken in 1995, while Spitzer photograph it in 2006. Webb’s image of Mercury was taken just days before the planet’s closest approach to the sun. Which made it easier to see surface features.
Biggest challenges for future observations of this target?
The James Webb Space Telescope is on course to become the most powerful telescope in history, and its first-ever direct image of a distant world is giving scientists a wealth of new information. The observatory’s infrared\ capabilities