The James Webb telescope, also given the title ‘The Big Brother of the Hubble Telescope’, was successfully launched on the 25th of December 2021. The pride of NASA scientists, this telescope can help us see much farther than the Hubble Telescope, enabling us to know about the heavenly bodies formed years ago. The fact that it can also see infrared rays with greater clarity is the reason we can see galaxies and stars formed about 13.5 billion years ago, at the beginning of the universe, clearly.
Infrared radiation having high directivity can penetrate through dust clouds easily giving a clearer picture of heavenly bodies. Additionally, according to Einstein’s theory of relativity, the space between two objects expands, and so does light. When the light of particles formed at the start of the universe, a billion lightyears away, travels to the earth, it expands and this light transforms to high wavelength infrared radiation which is not visible to our eyes.
In this phenomenal invention the image processors and cutting edge infrared sensors on our telescope come into play. To absorb a large amount of light, the telescope is equipped with 18 hexagonal mirrors, angled in a way to focus all absorbed infrared light on a sensor. This light is converted into electrical signals which can help the telescope map the image of the body. The fascinating thing about this masterpiece is that not only does it provide images of faraway objects, but using the light patterns of the stars and planets, it also helps scientists decipher the chemical composition and nature of the body!
Using the James Webb Telescope, we can unravel the ways of our universe. We can also look into other solar systems and even find a life sustaining ecosystem or planet! The Webb telescope also helps enhance the understanding about the birth of stars and galaxies. As we continue to receive data and images from the telescope groundbreaking theories have started to form and this might revolutionize modern science in ways we could have never imagined!
