Scientists say a “new era of astronomy” could be brought in as they prepare to launch the James Webb Telescope today.
The device is expected to profoundly transform scientists’ understanding of the universe and our place in it.
NASA, which produced the $10bn infrared telescope in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies, has hailed it as the premiere space-science observatory of the next decade.
What can the James Webb telescope do?
The instrument will give humankind its first glimpse of the infant universe as it existed when the earliest galaxies are believed to have formed.
A replacement for the Hubble telescope, Webb will be able to view the cosmos just 100 million years after the Big Bang, the theoretical flashpoint that led to the expansion of the universe 13.8 billion years ago.
By comparison, Hubble can only see back to about 400 million years following the Big Bang.
Astronomers want to use Webb to study super-massive black holes believed to occupy the centers of distant galaxies.
Cosmologists will work to map the dark matter around galaxies to reveal more about the mysterious substance thought to make up most of the universe.
The telescope’s mirror consists of 18 hexagonal segments of gold-coated beryllium metal
Could the telescope find aliens?
The space observatory will also investigate whether planets outside our own solar system may be suitable for life.
Cameras on the telescope will take images of other planets to look for the presence of water and other hints of life in the atmosphere.
Professor Martin Barstow, a scientist who helped develop the device, said it could reveal the existence of extra-terrestrial life forms in space.
“We will learn about the origins of the universe and how…
Source : skynews
