The Next Great Observatory: Webb Space Telescope

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James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Part 1/2 - The Next Great Observatory.

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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope, scheduled for launch in 2014. JWST will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. JWST will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System. JWST's instruments will be designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range.

JWST will have a large mirror, 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter and a sunshield the size of a tennis court. Both the mirror and sunshade won't fit onto the rocket fully open, so both will fold up and open once JWST is in outer space. JWST will reside in an orbit about 1.5 million km (1 million miles) from the Earth.

• http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/
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Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• james
• webb
• space
• telescopes
• jwst
• observatories
• nasa
• esa
• universe
• infrared
• milky
• way
• big
• bang
• stars
• solar
• systems
• earth

[ccaptorchen]

cools =) but with all those over dramatic epicness music... that thing better shoot some super lasers.

[Sinuev1]

Dick nasty. Can't wait to see the first images it starts sending back, and what implications it's findings have on our understanding of the universe. I feel privileged to be alive here and now, to witness in dazzling clarity what our stargazing forefathers could never have even dreamed of; what they would have considered "trespassing into the mind of god", and perhaps been afraid.

Though the video wasn't quite exciting enough for the "mass media cool" image... needs more explosions and titties

[jedimasters7566]

this is so cool can't wait for it to go up in space

[directorygod]

Wow, Good Vids, I like this

[aaronhoffmeyer]

The 2012 House Appropriations Committee has cancelled the James Webb Space telescope project.

[ph11p3540]

Will there be a small group of these so they can do infterferomatry? Nothing like binoculares twice the diameter of our earth for 3D astronomy.

[plebshadowofra]

hardware is important, but don't forget that chimps have almost the same eyes as us... its the software that REALLY counts

[huntingvuk]

cool project! be fun to work on

[coreva]

@mafarmerga A specific investigation into something about reality does not make us human. Humanity is by definition a nature that a specific type of being possesses. Even without any scientific discoveries we are still by definition humans. Humanity is the totality of specific attributes or characteritics that a being has. Science is a tool used to discover truth about physical reality.

[mrlips007]

You really have to appreciate what Hubble has helped us discover to really understand the epicness of this new telescope, its going to be EPIC & AWESOME just like Barney Stinson!

[galimor00]

I wonder when the time will come when we put observatories on the moon.

[iGregory67]

@DearestyouXII It would be a trajedy...

But, it's only the first obstical that Webb has to face. Unlike the Hubble, there is no way that we can do any work on this spacecraft once in orbit. This is the L2 orbit, and it's way beyond the moon... which is the furthest we've ever sent anybody. The Hubble is LEO (Low Earth Orbit) which is the same orbit that the Shuttle operates at.