by Sara Mazrouei, Planetary Scientist and Science Communicator
Where did we come from? How did the universe come to be and evolve? Is anyone else out there? These are the questions that humanity has spent years trying to answer. In a matter of days, the newest and shiniest space telescope, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or Webb), is setting off in search of exactly those answers.
James Webb Space Telescope is a large infrared telescope being launched (hopefully!) on December 24, 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. This mission is a collaboration between NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency.
The primary mirror of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, consisting of 18 hexagonal mirrors, looks like a giant puzzle piece standing in the massive clean room of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Appropriately, combined with the rest of the observatory, the mirrors will help piece together puzzles scientists have been trying to solve throughout the cosmos.
Credit: NASA
Webb is the successor of Hubble Space Telescope - you can think of it as the bigger, better version. Webb’s primary mirror is 6.5 meters in diameter in comparison with Hubble’s 2.4 meter primary mirror. This primary mirror consists of 18 separate hexagonal segments made from ultra-light beryllium which together create a large honeycomb-like reflective surface area. The bigger mirror allows more light to be collected, and the more light that can be collected, the further back in time you can see. Mirrors of a telescope are like buckets on a rainy day. The bigger your bucket, the more rain you will be able to collect.
JWST is hoping to see light from the first galaxies in the universe, over 13.5 billion years ago. If Hubble was able to see "toddler galaxies", Webb will be able to see "baby galaxies". In addition to finding these faint and early galaxies, Webb will also study today’s grand galaxies, which will help scientists understand how galaxies have evolved over time. Another one of JWST’s goals is to search for exoplanets (planets around other stars), study their atmosphere and search for building blocks of life on other planets.
Canada’s contribution to this complex and powerful space telescope is a scientific instrument called the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) and guidance sensor. The guidance sensor will help point and focus the telescope on an object of interest. The NIRISS will help study exoplanets and distant galaxies. Canada’s contribution makes it possible for Canadian scientists to receive a share of Webb’s observation time.
In short, JWST is the launch to watch in 2021 – you don’t want to miss it!