According to Agence France-Presse reported on June 29, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Bill Nelson said on Wednesday that after the James Webb Space Telescope is launched, the agency will announce "the first ever telescope in history" on July 12. "The most profound image of the universe ever taken."
Nelson told a news conference at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which operates the Webb Space Telescope. center. The space telescope cost $10 billion and was launched in December last year. It is currently orbiting the sun 1 million miles (about 1.5 million kilometers) from the earth.
The Webb Telescope is an engineering marvel. With its huge primary mirror and infrared focuser, it can observe through dust and gas. Therefore, the depth of the universe it can observe exceeds that of any previous space telescope .
Nelson said in a phone interview: "It will explore the atmospheres of many objects in the solar system and of exoplanets orbiting other stars, providing us with clues as to whether exoplanet atmospheres are very similar to Earth's atmosphere." Similar."
Nelson also said: "It may provide answers to some of our questions, such as where do we come from? What else is in space? And of course, it will also answer some questions that we can't even ask now. Question. "
With its infrared capabilities, the Webb Telescope can observe more deeply the " Big Bang" that occurred 13.8 billion years ago.
Because the universe is currently expanding, the wavelengths of light from the earliest stars will change from ultraviolet visible wavelengths to longer infrared wavelengths—infrared wavelengths that the Webb Telescope can detect with unprecedented resolution.
Currently, cosmological observations can be traced back to within 330 million years after the Big Bang, but with the power of the Webb Telescope, astronomers believe they will easily break this record.
James Webb Space Telescope rendering ( visual China )
Another good news is that NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy revealed that due to the efficient launch of NASA’s partner Arianespace, The Webb telescope can last for 20 years, twice its original expected lifespan.
Ms Melroy said: "Not only will these 20 years allow us to gain a deeper understanding of history and time, we will also explore science more deeply because we now have the opportunity to learn and grow and make new observations. "
NASA Chief Scientist Thomas Zurbuchen said that the Webb Telescope will conduct the first spectral analysis of a distant planet known to be an exoplanet. NASA intends to share the spectral analysis results on July 12.
Spectroscopy is a means of analyzing the chemical and molecular makeup of distant objects. Planetary spectra help determine characteristics of a planet's atmosphere and whether the planet has water and features such as landforms.
Astronomer Nestor Espinosa told an AFP reporter that compared with the observation capabilities of the Webb Telescope, previous spectroscopic analyzes of exoplanets using existing instruments were very limited.
Espinoza said of current technology: "It used to be like you were in a very dark room and you could only see through a pinhole." Now with the Webb telescope, "You open a huge window and you can see all the details."
Source: Reference News Network
