Sign In
Learn bits
Science & Tech.
Mahesh

17/08/24 09:10 AM IST

James Webb Space Telescope

In News
  • Images from the James Webb Space Telescope are puzzling — instead of newborn galaxies, the early phases of the Universe appear to be full of adult-sized galaxies.
James Webb telescope
  • The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a general-purpose observatory with a large aperture telescope optimised for infrared observations and a suite of state-of-the-art astronomical instruments capable of addressing many outstanding issues in astronomy
  • Infrared optimisation: Designed primarily for infrared astronomy to observe objects which were too old, distant, or faint for visible light detection.
  • Large primary mirror: Equipped with a 6.5-meter diameter primary mirror to capture more light and provide higher-resolution images.
  • Segmented mirror design: The primary mirror comprises 18 hexagonal, gold-coated beryllium segments, thus enabling it to fold for launch and unfold in space.
  • Sunshield protection: A five-layer sun-shield, which blocks solar light and heat, maintaining the instruments at extremely low temperatures necessary for infrared observations.
  • Location at Lagrange Point 2 (L2): Operates from a stable orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point thereby minimising light interference and reducing fuel consumption for orbital corrections.
  • High sensitivity: Its instruments are highly sensitive to infrared light thus enabling the study of the earliest stars and galaxies formed after the Big Bang
  • Cryogenic cooling system: Uses a passive cooling system to reach temperatures as low as 40 Kelvin (-233°C) which is essential for infrared observations
  • Precision guidance sensors: Equipped with sophisticated guidance sensors for accurate pointing and stability. This is crucial for long-duration observations of faint celestial objects.
  • Extended wavelength coverage: Capable of observing a wide range of wavelengths from 0.6 to 28 micrometres.
Source- Indian Express

More Related Current Affairs View All

05 May

Key objectives of caste count

'The Union Cabinet has decided that the next Census will include questions on caste to its enumeration of India’s population, for the first time in almost a century. ' T

Read More

05 May

2 new genome-edited rice varieties

'Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently released two genome-edited varieties of rice, the first achievement of its kind in the country.' These two varieties, which

Read More

05 Mar

First-ever comprehensive survey of India’s river dolphins

'Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the results of the first-ever comprehensive population estimation of riverine dolphins – Gangetic and Indus dolphins – done in In

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps