![]() Last but not least, Webb is able to capture the faint light from distant stars, thereby allowing it look further into the past than any of its predecessor telescopes. Webb can also use its instruments to scan the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system specifically for signs of life or the conditions which might support it. ![]() Until now, researchers have been denied this glimpse into the delivery room of the stars. Webb’s sensors are a hundred times more sensitive than Hubble’s and, because infrared light has a longer wavelength, they can see through the clouds of dust and gas in which stars and planetary systems are born. It lies on the dark side of the Earth at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres and travels around the sun in the permanent shadow of our planet. To ensure that Webb’s temperature-sensitive sensors are not thrown off by the sun’s heat, the telescope is positioned at the second Lagrange point. Whereas Hubble operates in the visible and ultraviolet light spectrum, the Webb captures the infrared radiation that even the coldest bodies in space emit. That’s four times as far as the moon and over 2,700 times farther than the Hubble telescope, which will be succeeded by Webb, itself the joint brainchild of the space agencies of the US, EU and Canada. 30 days later, the largest and most expensive space telescope to date reached its area of operation: 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth. Originally planned for 2007, its launch into space finally took place on 25 December 2021 after various postponements. ![]() The relatively short history of the James Webb Space Telescope – known as Webb or JWST for short – is a story of superlatives. ![]()
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