James Webb Telescope Launch
Laura Betz/NASA/Associated Press
NASA’s James Webb Telescope (JWST) reached its destination, Lagrange Point (L2) on January 24, 2022, preparing to study the earliest stars and galaxies and analyze their emergence in the Universe. After leaving Earth on December 25, 2021, Webb set out on a mission into the past hoping to be the ticket to the unknown aspects of the Universe’s formation.
The James Webb Telescope is a project by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the European Space Agency (ESA).
The ESA provided the mission with an Ariane 5 ECA rocket and launched the telescope from Kouro in French Guinea. The CSA provided Webb with scientific equipment such as the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) that allows the telescope to precisely point. NASA had many roles in this project with one being building the 43.5-foot telescope. All three agencies’ collaboration led to the establishment of one of the most technologically advanced telescopes ever built.
Canadian astronomers and scientists who contributed to the project will be among the first to study Webb’s discoveries. According to the CSA, Canadian astronomers will study three different observation systems, one of them being Early Release Science. In this system, scientists will study the interplay between infrared light which is made by large stars and their local environment.
Work began for the telescope in 1996 with a budget of $500 million. However, the project had many setbacks for its launch date. It was initially supposed to launch in 2007 but there were many delays because of a design change and budget issues. Finally, the completion and launch of the telescope were achieved in late 2021.
The Webb telescope was originally named the Next Generation Space Telescope, but in September 2002, the telescope’s name was changed to the James Webb Telescope, deriving its name from former NASA administrator, James E. Webb, who oversaw most Apollo missions during the mid-1900s.
When an astronomical object’s spectrum is rearranging toward longer (red) wavelengths, it is known as a redshift. Similar to the Doppler effect, the light source moves relative to an observer and the wavelengths appear longer than when they were discharged. The ability to perceive redshifts will shed light on some of the first star formations in the Universe.
Calculations from researchers showed that the first star formations happened somewhere between redshift 15 and 30. During those redshifts, the universe was only around 1.5 per cent of its current age. Today, the Universe is 13.8 billion years old, and these redshifts have connected for 100 to 250 million years since the Big Bang.
One of the reasons JWST was developed was to aid in the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. The two telescopes are similar but serve distinct, differing purposes. Webb will not be in orbit around Earth-like Hubble. Instead, it will orbit around the Sun at L2, which is 1.5 million miles away from Earth. This orbit path will cause the telescope to stay in line with Earth, allowing its sun shield to safeguard the telescope from the light and heat from the Sun, Earth, and the Moon. This allows the telescope’s scientific equipment to function properly when testing out its instruments.
Scientists will use Webb to study 11 exoplanets that are larger than Earth, but smaller than Neptune and will learn about how they developed over time. Scientists hope Webb will answer the questions as to whether exoplanets are habitable for humans.
JWST can also detect the appearance of planets as large as Jupiter, using the infrared light that comes from the planet. With Webb’s equipment, it can block out the light of the planets as the parent stars of those planets are bright compared to other stars. This can help Webb detect information about the planet which would be crucial for scientists back at Earth as the information collected could help answer the many questions about these planets that could never be answered. This type of information Webb finds will be shared with NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California. They will be among the first to share Webb’s discoveries with others and can build off the foundation Webb set from its discoveries.
The Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), and the Fine Guidance Sensor/Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (FGS-NIRISS) are four pieces of scientific equipment Webb has for its mission. These instruments will serve many purposes with the assistance of James Webb. Spectrographs, for example, are on each of Webb’s scientific equipment. It will help the telescope see into the darkness and will shine light out into a spectrum so that the light of each independent wavelength can be sized. Each of these pieces of equipment comes in various modes that will help Webb and scientists at Earth to make conclusions on the consequences of the Big Bang.
Webb’s design varies greatly from other space telescopes. One example is its sun shield. Webb’s cameras are sensitive to the sun, so a sun shield was placed on the telescope to protect its instruments and mirrors. The sun shield has significant protection as it is the same as the size of a tennis court. According to NASA, the side of Webb that is facing the Sun has a 300-degree Celcius difference between the shaded areas. Another interesting design element is the gold-plated mirrors. Gold reflects infrared light. Infrared light can peek from the farthest corners of the universe and if exposed to it, the Webb telescope will not be able to function properly.
“It’s a humbling experience to be part of such a massive endeavour,” Natasha Bathla, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Center stated. “About 10,000 people have contributed to this telescope, and thousands more across over 400 institutions will be analyzing data from its first cycle. It’s an amazing opportunity to get to do science on this scale.”