NASA’s website explains that “The longer wavelengths enable Webb to look much closer to the beginning of time and to hunt for the unobserved formation of the first galaxies, as well as to look inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today.”
Webb Telescope to replace Hubble
For over 30 years the now-aging Hubble has given us a window into space.
Jane Rigby, a NASA astrophysicist on the James Webb team discussed the importance of the iconic Hubble Space Telescope.
“I think Hubble certainly is the first telescope where the images appeared everywhere,” she said. “I have socks with Hubble pictures on them. I’ve seen them on the sides of a U-Haul going down the highway.”
The Hubble images, she says, impact us “in this kind of awe-inspiring, connected to everything, maybe spiritual way.”
Big telescopes on the ground always had to look up through the Earth’s atmosphere. And the distorting effect on the light does not always accurately capture space objects.
By sending the Hubble into orbit it gave more detailed 360-degree views than ever before. Planets, stars, and clouds of gas that were visible from Earth were suddenly transformed into stunning shimmering visions. And scientists named these heavenly bodies names like the “Pillars of Creation.”
James Webb Space Telescope to film in infrared
The Spitzer Space Telescope was one of the first infrared space telescopes. It operated for about 17 years before shutting down in 2020. It is smaller and less powerful than the James Webb. The technology reveals never-before-seen images in the center of the Milky Way.
