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Space agency NASA has shown the first color image of the new James Webb Space Telescope developed by Cosmos. It is about a “deeper” view of the universe. Space agencies NASA (US), ESA (Europe) and CSA (Canada) will release more images tomorrow.
The image shows the origin of the universe and the edges of the universe, a part of space that has never been seen before. Humanity has never seen the universe so deeply.
The most distant galaxies are located 4.6 billion light-years away from Earth. The galaxy cluster on the plate, SMACS 0723, is detailed in the long exposure image.
US President Biden first saw the film at a White House briefing. He reportedly replied, “These films are going to remind the world that America is capable of great things. And they are going to remind the American people, especially our children, that there is nothing we can do.”
Hubble
The James Webb Space Telescope cost $US10 billion ($9.93 billion) to build. It was built as the largest and most powerful space telescope and successor to the famous Hubble.
On Christmas Day last year, James Webb launched from a base in French Guiana in South America. After about a month, the telescope reached a distance of 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Then began a time-consuming process of fine-tuning the instruments and unfolding the glasses. All systems are tested and components on board are cooled, with a sunshade the size of a tennis court.
The telescope consists of eighteen hexagonal mirrors. They are connected to each other, but can move independently of each other to adjust the image as sharply as possible. The glasses are made of beryllium, which is very resistant to cold, and a very thin layer of gold, 100 nanometers thick. It is a thousand times thinner than human hair. With gold, the telescope can observe infrared light better.
Scientists want to see as much as possible using telescopes. The plan is to get a picture of the Big Bang, the birth of the universe about 13.7 billion years ago. Scientists also want to zoom in on near-Earth cosmic objects. Also, James Webb should search for habitable planets.
James Webb’s output was:
James Webb Space Telescope successfully launched