The James Webb Space Telescope is a giant infrared space observatory, the scientific successor to the Hubble. It has a primary mirror that is 6.5 meters (about 21 feet) in diameter and it's coated with a very thin layer of gold, which optimizes it for reflecting infrared light. (It's also really pretty!) It will be able to see the first galaxies in the early universe, see stars and planets being born in clouds of dust and gas, and will tell us about the atmospheres of planets around other stars. Webb launched on December 25, 2021 and its first full-color images and data were revealed on July 12, 2022.
NASA Mission Page: http://jwst.nasa.gov
Social Media:
Twitter:
@NASAWebb
Facebook:
@NASAWebb
Instagram:
@NASAWebb
Flickr:
nasawebbtelescope
YouTube:
NASAWebbTelescope
Gratuitous images - this one was taken by Nasreen Alkhateeb for me from inside the cleanroom - I'm standing in the window looking out at the telescope!
I had the opportunity to get a last photos with the telescope at Northrop Grumman during the 2019 Partners Meeting:
