JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE
what happened in the universe in past time, James Webb Space Telescope will take you hundreds billion years back.
(The Quiver) Travelling at 1.39 kilometers per second in the vacuum of space, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is headed to a destination — 15,00,000 kilometers away from Earth. A day after it soared into skies following a nerve-wracking launch, the telescope is known to have covered nearly 23 per cent of its journey to the location known as the second Lagrange point.
The telescope on Sunday released its gimbaled antenna assembly, which includes its high-data-rate dish antenna. The antenna will be used to send at least 28.6 gigabytes of science data down from the observatory, twice a day. Nasa said that engineers released and tested the motion of the antenna assembly — the entire process took about one hour. Meanwhile, the temperature sensors and strain gauges on the telescope were activated for the first time.
PURPOSE OF JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is directed to space. Webb will study infrared light from celestial objects with much greater clarity than ever before. It will give informations from back in time, or about things previously constructed. Webb can possibly look back 100 billion years after the event.
The world’s largest and most complex space science observatory will now begin six months of commissioning in space. At the end of commissioning, Webb will deliver its first images.
JWST is a triumph of human ingenuity. After 30 years of planning and development, we now have in space the greatest telescope in the history of astronomy. This telescope really belongs to every single one of us, regardless of our countries,” said Dr Karan Jani, an astrophysicist with Vanderbilt University.
WHERE IS JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE GOING?
The James Webb telescope is headed to a location known as the second Lagrange point from where it will observe the universe.
According to Nasa, Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent tend to stay put. At Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce the fuel consumption needed to remain in position.
This location lets the telescope stay in line with the Earth as it moves around the Sun allowing its large sunshield to protect the telescope from the light and heat of the Sun and Earth.
WHEN WILL JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE REACH ITS DESTINATION?
The telescope is on a 30-day long journey to cover the 15,00,000 kilometres distance between Earth and its intended orbit. It will reach the location by the end of January.
WHAT ARE DIFFERENT LAGRANGE POINTS?
There are five special points where a small satellite can orbit in a constant portion with two big masses. At these five positions part of the Earth-Sun system, three (L1, L2 and L3) lie along the line connecting the two large masses. Meanwhile, L4 and L5 form the apex.
According to Nasa, the L1 point of the Earth-Sun system affords an uninterrupted view of the sun and is currently home to the Solar and Hemispheric Observatory Satellite SOHO. The L2, where the James Webb Space Telescope is going, is ideal for astronomy because a spacecraft is close enough to readily communicate with Earth, can keep Sun, Earth and Moon behind the spacecraft for solar power and (with appropriate shielding) provides a clear view of deep space.
It is to be noted that L1 and L2 points are unstable and satellites functioning from this location need to go through regular course corrections. Meanwhile, L3 remains behind the Sun and is unlikely to be used.
WHY WAS THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION SELECTED FOR THE TELESCOPE?
The location was chosen since James Webb will be observing the universe in infrared vision which can sometimes be felt as heat and since it is looking for the faintest signals, it needs to be safeguarded from any bright, hot sources, the biggest being our Sun.
The telescope itself will be operating at about -225 degrees Celsius and the temperature difference between the front and back of the spacecraft will be huge. To protect the telescope, the location needs to be such that light and heat from the Sun, Moon and Earth needs to come from just one direction. The second lagrange point is the optimum location from where Sun, Moon and Earth are in the one-line direction.
