The James Webb Area Telescope on Monday reached the spot 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth from the place it can start peering again to the time when the primary stars and galaxies have been forming 13.7 billion years in the past.
The journey to the designated orbit level — greater than 4 occasions additional away than the moon — has taken a month.
The telescope, which was launched from French Guiana on Christmas, is now in orbit on the so-called second Lagrange level.
That could be a place the place the gravitational forces of the solar and Earth stability one another, that means that the telescope wants little power to keep away from falling into the gravity nicely of both heavenly physique.
What’s the telescope’s mission?
Scientists hope the telescope, which can finally price some $10 billion (€8.8 billion) altogether, will make observations that may present clues as to the origins of the universe.
The telescope may have a view of virtually half the sky at any given second
It would additionally scan the atmospheres of different worlds for attainable indicators of life.
Earlier than going into operation, nevertheless, the 18 hexagonal segments of the telescope’s gold-coated 21-foot (6.5-meter) diameter main mirror have to be exactly aligned with each other. This can take three months to finish.
‘Welcome residence’
“Webb, welcome residence!” mentioned NASA Administrator Invoice Nelson in an announcement. “We’re one step nearer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe. And I am unable to wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer season!” he added.
NASA joined with the European and Canadian house businesses on the challenge to ship the telescope into house, the place it is going to be in a position to see farther and extra clearly than when Earth’s distorting environment will get in the best way.
The James Webb Area Telescope is among the most costly scientific platforms ever constructed, corresponding to the Giant Hadron Collider at CERN or the Hubble Area Telescope.
tj/rs (AP, AFP)