The incredible 25th birthday of the Hubble space telescope is being celebrated by space enthusiasts this year. However, others at the Goddard Space Flight Center, located in Greenbelt, Maryland, are now working to put together the James Webb Space Telescope, which will replace Hubble once it makes its way into space in October 2018.
The James Webb telescope, which boasts new infrared capabilities, is much stronger and can perform many functions the Hubble telescope is not capable of. By using this infrared technology, along with mirrors and radio signals, scientists will be able to see through dust and clouds in space that currently block the view of Hubble
The new space telescope can also spread light out into individual colors, making it possible to view single atoms and molecules in order to learn more about their chemical makeup. At the moment, the Hubble space telescope only allows astronomers to view a tiny portion of the infrared spectrum.
New Space Telescope Is Larger And Will Travel Further Than Hubble
The James Webb Space Telescope, named after the second administrator of NASA, will travel 1.5 million kilometers from the Earth’s atmosphere. Hubble, on the other hand, floats in low Earth orbit. Additionally, the new telescope boasts a larger mirror, nearly six and a quarter times bigger, which makes it possible for it to see farther away into space. It is manufactured out of beryllium with a coating of gold to make it reflective; in fact it is too large to fit into a rocket and must be launched into space folded.
Furthermore, the James Webb Space Telescope can withstand colder temperatures – down to minus 200 degrees Celsius. It must be able to do so in order to prevent it from being blinded by the infrared emissions. A multi-layered sunscreen will also protect it from light from the Sun, Earth and Moon, which can cause the telescope to heat up and thus, block its signals. All of these new factors make the James Webb space telescope nearly one hundred times stronger than Hubble.
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