![]() ![]() Originally known as the Next Generation Space Telescope, the Webb telescope is named after the late NASA Administrator James Webb, the second leader of the space agency who is credited with guiding NASA during the Apollo moon program. Once unfolded in space, it will look more like a large radio antenna than a cylindrical telescope housing, with its 21-foot-diameter primary mirror - composed of 18 hexagonal beryllium segments coated in gold - exposed to space.Ī 2002 photograph of the Hubble telescope floating over Earth. The Webb, by contrast, is currently folded up like a flower bud in preparation for launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on December 18, 2021. It was deployed in low Earth orbit by the Space Shuttle, which could fit the entire Hubble observatory in its cargo bay. Looking a bit like a silvery, segmented coffee can, the 43-foot-long cylindrical Hubble exterior houses a glass primary mirror just more than seven feet across, and scientific instruments capable of interpreting light focused by that mirror in the near-infrared, visible and ultraviolet bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. NASAīut the way the Webb telescope goes about this is physically and technologically very different from the Hubble and will operate under very different conditions. They share a mission to look into the deep recesses of space and time and bring back images and data of faint and distant objects inaccessible to other instruments.Ĭonceptually, they are even the same type of telescope: A Cassegrain reflector, which uses a primary mirror to collect and focus light on a smaller secondary mirror, which in turn focuses an image on sensor instruments.Īn illustration of the light-path in the Hubble Space telescope. How will the James Webb Telescope be different from Hubble?Īt their cores, the Hubble and Webb telescopes are very similar. Here’s how NASA’s two flagship space telescopes stack up with each other. Once operational, the Webb will ideally provide new and exciting images and data for scientists in addition to those coming from the venerable Hubble - but it will also be ready to accept the passing of the torch when the time comes. ![]() Thankfully, the Hubble’s immediate successor, the long-delayed James Webb Space Telescope, is finally nearing its launch in December. NASA hopes to get the Hubble humming and producing stunning images again, potentially for years to come, but the space agency knows it can’t live forever. It’s the second safe mode incident for the Hubble this year following an issue in June that left the Hubble in safe mode for about a month. The aging science instrument, which first entered Earth orbit in 1990, switched into “ safe mode” on Monday, and remains offline while NASA investigates a technical issue. ![]() Unfortunately, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is showing those signs. It might take months, it might be tomorrow, but you’d better back up your data and make plans. As anyone who has had an older computer that increasingly requires rebooting knows, it’s a sign that something is about to give way. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |