This Space Telescope is Absolutely Groundbreaking!
Introduction!
The James Webb Space telescope (JWST) is an incredible telescope that has made major strides in understanding and discovering how our universe works, such as discovering a planet that is likely to have life, and having the capabilities to see things forming at the very beginning of the universe. Clearly this telescope is extremely powerful, but how does it work?
How does it work?
The JWST uses infrared sensors. Infrared light is a part of the light spectrum that we humans can not see with the naked eye, and many celestial objects in the universe emit infrared light, so right off the bat, the JWST has a very strong visible range. It also has an absolutely incredible zoom in ability, this is because it uses a very complicated set of mirrors, as well as keeping the area where the light passes through, at near absolute zero. (-273.1C) and with lots of light filters and other contributory factors, it's obviously very powerful.
What has it Achieved?
Some of the JWST’s major accomplishments include taking breathtaking pictures of well known nebulae, such as: The Pillars of Creation, The Orion Nebula, The Ring Nebula and The Cosmic Cliffs. In addition, The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a galaxy that is 13.2 billion light years away. That's 95% of the lifespan of the entire universe! It has also taken some high resolution images of the planets in our solar system. They are the most accurate images we have of our neighboring planets at this point in time. This has sent waves through the astrophysic and overall scientific community!
State of the Art Technology!
The scientists and engineers that helped build and launch the telescope made the telescope able to fold into a compact shape instead of staying a huge wonky spacecraft. This was very intelligent because it made deploying the telescope very simple, and the launch was much more bearable. The telescope is made up of aluminum, kapton, and a treated silicon solution. The kapton is used on the sunshield, 5 layers of it to be precise. They use kapton as it is very stable and is useful for protecting electrical components inside the telescope. Each layer of kapton is coated in aluminum to further protect it from the vicissitudes of space. The silicon is used to reflect the heat from the sun off the telescope.
Controversy!
One of the most controversial ideas surrounding the JWST was its name. As you know, the name of the telescope has a name in it, that being James Webb. It is named after this man James Webb because he was an accomplished leader who was an important figure in the Apollo missions, most notably Apollo 11. But people were outraged at the telescope's name, because there were many conspiracies and theories surrounding James Webb that he was a homophobe and a prosecutor of LGBTQ+ members. It got to the point that a government petition was started with the goal to get NASA to change the name of the telescope. However, all of these controversies have since been debunked.
Conclusion!
Overall, The James Webb Space Telescope is an absolutely astonishing addition to mankind's arsenal of innovations. Many telescopes have been made to advance the human understanding of the universe, but no telescope has been this revolutionary. Also, it's not done observing space, so there is much more to come from the JWST. Our universe is full of surprises and we really have no way of knowing what to come, and we should be excited by that. And who knows? Maybe it will find life or see the beginning of the universe! You never know.
