Topic No. 48: The James Webb Space Telescope

Since we just discussed the Hubble Space Telescope, a great follow-up topic is its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

JWST is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. It was launched in 2021 and is considered Hubble's scientific successor.

Key Differences from Hubble

While both telescopes study the universe, JWST is fundamentally different in two main ways:

Infrared Focus: Unlike Hubble, which primarily sees visible light, JWST is designed to see in infrared light. This allows it to see through clouds of gas and dust and detect the faint light from the very first galaxies formed after the Big Bang.

Orbit: JWST does not orbit Earth. Instead, it orbits a point in space called the second Lagrange Point (L2), which is about 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) away from Earth. This unique orbit keeps it cool and allows it to have a clear, stable view of the universe.