A large infrared space telescope developed by NASA with ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, launched in 2021 and positioned near the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point. Its infrared sensitivity allows it to observe galaxies from closer to the early universe than any prior telescope.
Facts
Observatory TypeSpace telescope (infrared) 1 LocationSun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, about 1.5 million km from Earth 1 MeasuresMeasures infrared light, from long-wavelength visible red through mid-infrared, 0.6 to 28.5 micrometers. 2 Operating PrincipleUses a segmented primary mirror of 18 hexagonal beryllium segments that unfolded after launch, combined with a multi-layer sunshield that keeps the instruments cold enough for infrared observation. 2 Classification
Observing Band Connections
Associated With
James Webb, Pioneers The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, was named in his honor.
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Additional Source Wikipedia: James E. WebbJames E. Webb, Legacy section
The Webb telescope observes from near the Sun-Earth L2 point.
Source Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
Redshift, Concepts JWST measures the redshift of very distant galaxies in the infrared.
Operated By
Developed jointly with ESA and the Canadian Space Agency; NASA leads operations.
Source Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.james-webb-space-telescope, entity description, observing band (infrared)
A large infrared space telescope developed by NASA with ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, launched in 2021 and positioned near the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point.
- Operated By: NASA
- Associated With: Lagrange Points
View the Source 2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationJames Webb Space Telescope, Optics sectionQuote, James Webb Space Telescope, Optics section
The mirror is therefore composed of 18 hexagonal segments
James Webb Space Telescope (Wikipedia)
James Webb Space Telescope, Features section
Webb observes a lower frequency range, from long-wavelength visible light (red) through mid-infrared (0.6-28.5 μm).
In Group: Infrared Space Telescopes, Lead sentence
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy.
View the SourceWikipedia: James E. Webb
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