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The first image from the powerful Space Telescope, developed with the participation of Canada, will be released on July 12th, providing a fresh look of the universe.
“This is the largest and most complex space telescope ever launched into space,” Sara Gallagher, a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) spokesman, told The Epoch Times on July 11. ..
According to Gallagher, NASA-led projects have been made possible by international cooperation between the CSA and the European Space Agency.
The first space objects captured by the James Webb Telescope are the Carina Nebula, the exoplanet WASP-96 b, the Southern Ring Nebula, the Stephan’s Quintet galaxy, and a cluster of galaxies called SMACS0723.
“These are the first waves of full-color scientific images and spectra collected by the observatory and the official beginning of Webb’s general scientific activity,” said July 8. statement From CSA.
The first target was selected by a committee consisting of members of the Space Agency and members of the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Gallagher states that research teams are eagerly awaiting access to the resulting data, and some teams have been making research proposals “for years.”
“It’s hard to exaggerate how excited people are,” she said.
She says the quality of the early images produced by the telescope is “beyond expectations.”
“It’s visually beautiful and scientifically exciting. There are already new discoveries, it’s very exciting, and this is just a little, the smallest first taste,” she says.
Canada’s contribution
Canada provided the telescope with two elements, including a fine guidance sensor (FGS) and a near-infrared imager and a slitless spectrograph (NIRISS). These were built by the American multinational conglomerate Honeywell.
While FGS allows you to point and focus on celestial bodies with a telescope, NIRISS is a scientific instrument for studying celestial bodies.
Canada receives a guaranteed share in exchange for CSA’s contribution to the telescope Observation time..
The Canadian Webb science team can use up to 450 hours of observation time.
A team led by David Lafrenière of the University of Montreal will study the atmosphere of exoplanets. Another team, led by Chris Willott of the National Research Council, will study early galaxies and clusters of galaxies.
In other small projects, we will divide the remaining observation time to study phenomena such as rogue planets and astronomical discs.
Canadian astronomers will also be provided with 5% of Webb’s observation time reserved for general observations.
James Webb Space Telescope successor It will be the Hubble Space Telescope, but it will make a big technological leap.
According to Gallagher, Webb is “a few generations away from Hubble” due to its advanced technology.
Webb is not considered a Hubble replacement because its functionality is not identical. Webb primarily uses infrared to look into space, while Hubble primarily uses wavelengths of light and ultraviolet light.
Webb has a much larger collection area with a 6.5 meter diameter primary mirror compared to Hubble’s 2.4 meters diameter.
Hubble Orbit The distance around the earth is about 500 kilometers, but the web is 1.5 million kilometers away, Second Lagrange point.. This is a place where gravity from the Earth and the Sun is balanced, allowing the telescope to stay in place with minimal energy use.
According to Gallagher, Webb’s life expectancy is estimated to be 10 years, based on the amount of propellant to keep the propellant in place.
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Noé Charter is a Montreal-based Epoch Times reporter. Twitter: @NChartierET Gettr: @nchartieret
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