After years of study and development, the James Webb Telescope is fully operational and ready to reveal the universe's darkest secrets.
Space.com said the new age space telescope began its mission to take a closer look at the universe's earliest stars and galaxies with a fanfare-filled launch on Christmas Day.
But what precisely will it be looking for when it comes to the most incredible things? Here's an overview of the Webb space telescope's anticipated findings, as well as a brief description of how it will accomplish them.
KOUROU, FRENCH GUIANA - DECEMBER 25: Launch teams monitor the countdown to the launch of Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket carrying NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on December 25, 2021, in the Jupiter Center at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is a large infrared telescope with a 21.3 foot (6.5 meters) primary mirror. The observatory will study every phase of cosmic history, from our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.
Closer Look At Exoplanets, Earth's Neighboring Planets
CNN said one of Webb's most important goals would be to offer a far closer look at Earth's nearby planets, including particular exoplanets.
Astronomers will be able to peek into the atmospheres of these planets in nearly unprecedented detail because of the Webb satellite telescope's capacity. Scientists will subsequently be able to observe what makes up these planets' atmospheres, which will help them assess whether or not a particular exoplanet is possibly habitable.
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Looking for Exoplanets? JWST Could Find One
For a long time, astronomers have been looking for Earth 2.0. However, given the Webb space telescope's capability, such a planet might be discovered during our lifetimes.
According to The Conversation, Webb's ultimate objective is to find an exoplanet identical to Earth. The only difficulty is that detecting such a planet is extremely difficult owing to the unique set of variables that must occur.
Oldest Stars, Galaxies to Be Seen Soon!
Space.com said that light travels at a constant rate of 186,000 miles (299,791.8 kilometers) per second. Galaxies emit too much light due to the stars they contain. However, since the cosmos is so large, the light will take millions, if not billions, of years to reach scientists on Earth.
In simple words, the further out in space anything is, the older it is. When you claim a galaxy is 13 billion light-years distant, you're viewing it 13 billion years ago since the light from the galaxy took 13 billion years to reach Earth.
According to Vox, the Hubble Space Telescope detected light that traveled 13.3 billion years (almost as long as the universe itself) to reach Earth. This means Hubble could see a galaxy that was only 400 million years old when it initially formed and lighted up.
On the other hand, Webb will allow scientists to peek considerably further back in time: 250 million years after the Big Bang, to be precise. According to astronomer Caitlin Casey of the University of Texas at Austin, we will be able to see the very first stars ever to switch on.
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