The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has the capability to look far back in time and deep into space. It can observe distant galaxies that formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, up to 13.5 billion years ago.
In terms of distance, the JWST’s sensitivity and angular resolution will allow it to study objects located hundreds of millions to billions of light-years away. This means that the JWST has the potential to peer into some of the most distant and ancient corners of the universe and give us a better understanding of how galaxies and stars formed and evolved over time.
Webb has now exposed a field of galaxies due to its advanced tech instruments, including the LEDA 2046648 spiral galaxy, which is located a billion light-years away from Earth:
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is considered to be advanced for several reasons, including:
- Infrared Capability: Unlike its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, which mainly observes in visible and ultraviolet light, the JWST has a large primary mirror and advanced infrared detectors, allowing it to observe in the near-infrared and mid-infrared range. This will give it the ability to see through the dust clouds that obscure much of the universe, and study the formation of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems in detail.
- Sunshield: The JWST is equipped with a large, tennis court-sized sunshield that will protect its delicate instruments from the heat and light of the Sun. This sunshield, made of five layers of a special material called Kapton, will allow the JWST to cool down to a temperature of around 50 Kelvin, making it possible to observe in the infrared spectrum.
- Large Primary Mirror: The JWST has a primary mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters, making it one of the largest space telescopes to date. This large mirror will allow it to gather more light, providing better resolution and sensitivity, and making it possible to study fainter and more distant objects.
The JWST has the ability to look incredibly far into space, both in terms of time and distance, and has the potential to provide us with unprecedented insights into the universe.
