The next great space lookout is off to a shiny start . The protective covers on the James Webb Space Telescope ’s ( JWST ) primary mirror have finally beenlifted .
Billed as the successor to the Hubble blank space telescope , JWST will give us gripping views of the universe when it is launched in October 2018 . It has been in construction since almost the start of this century , with its finish particular date constantly postponed , but now it is closer than ever to being ready .
The scientist and engineers working on JWST at NASA ’s Goddard Space Flight Center are now completing the assembly of all the other instruments for the telescope . Over the next two year , the team will stockpile out tests to make certain JWST is ready to be fly into space .
The primary mirror , which you’re able to see in all its glory below , is composed of 18 hexangular segments , each the size of a coffee mesa and consider about 20 kilograms ( 46 pounds ) . The mirrors are made of beryllium , which allow them to be both scant and strong , and they are coated with a thin amber film to ameliorate the mirror ’ reflection of infrared radiation .
Assembly of the chief mirror begin in November 2015 , and thefinal segmentwas install on February 3 . The mirror is larger than any rocket , so both the mirror and the heat energy shield are designed to pen up out once JWST reaches its name and address 1.5 million kilometers ( 932,000 miles ) from Earth .
Engineers performing test on JWST at NASA ’s Goddard Space Flight Center ’s clean elbow room in Greenbelt , Maryland . NASA / Chris Gunn
JWST will be pose at the L2 , the secondLagrange detail . This is a degree in space where the gravitative attractor of the Sun and the Earth balance the motor displume a small objective might experience . Satellites in L2 stay at the same distance from us and move with the Earth around the Sun .
Although the observatory is considered the transposition of Hubble , it will do much more than its unbelievable forerunner . JWST will look at the macrocosm in visible visible light and near - to - mid infrared , admit it to look further back in the universe of discourse than ever before , hopefully spotting the first stars that ever shone .
JWST , a collaborative project between NASA , the European Space Agency , and the Canadian Space Agency , will also look into our galactic " backyard , " look at gas pedal and dust cloud , mavin - form clusters , and even obtain direct tomography of some nearby exoplanets .
Main image viaNASA / Twitter
