JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the oldest-known dead galaxy, which stopped forming stars 13 billion years ago, according to a new study.

oThe research team was surprised to find a so-called dead galaxy that essentially lived fast and died young so soon after the big bang that created the universe.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

• About: The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built. It is named after James E. Webb, who was the administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968 during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
• Launched: by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on 25th December 2021 through the launch vehicle Ariane 5 ECA.
• Collaboration: It is a joint venture of NASA (US), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).
• Observing Early Galaxies: The telescope will be able to capture images of some of the first galaxies ever formed.
• Solar System Exploration: It will also be able to observe objects in our solar system from Mars outward, look inside dust clouds to see where new stars and planets are forming and examine the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars.
• Sunshield Protection: The Webb telescope’s cameras are sensitive to heat from the Sun. Webb has a sunshield to protect its instruments and mirrors.
• Infrared Vision: The James Webb Space Telescope sees the universe in light that is invisible to human eyes. This light is called infrared radiation. The James Webb Space Telescope will use its infrared cameras to see through dust in the universe.
• Powerful telescope: It much more powerful than the presently deployed Hubble space telescope.
• Function: It will observe in near-infrared light rather than light in the visible part of the spectrum (unlike Hubble) and thus it will have a much greater capacity to see obscure stars and galaxies