Hubble & James Webb Space Telescope |Gyan Ki Baatein | #Physics #Science #knowledge

Chandan Kapoor
SP Guru
#telescope #space #spacescience #HubbleTelescope #WebbTelescope #HST #JWST #SpaceExploration #Astronomy #NASA #SpaceScience #Galaxies #Nebulae #Stars #Exoplanets #CosmicDiscovery #CosmicVisions #LookingUp
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a large space telescope launched by NASA in 1990. It orbits Earth outside the planet’s atmosphere, which allows it to capture clearer images of space compared to ground-based telescopes, which are affected by atmospheric distortion.
Key features and accomplishments of the Hubble Space Telescope:
1. Location and Size: Hubble orbits about 547 kilometers (340 miles) above Earth. It’s around the size of a large school bus, about 13.2 meters long.
2. Instruments: Hubble is equipped with high-resolution cameras and spectrometers that observe ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light. This wide range of observation capabilities helps it study stars, galaxies, and other celestial bodies in great detail.
3. Servicing Missions: Hubble was designed to be serviced by astronauts. Over the years, several space shuttle missions repaired and upgraded its instruments, prolonging its life and improving its capabilities.
4. Discoveries:
The Hubble Space Telescope has made numerous groundbreaking discoveries since its launch. Some of the key ones include:
1. Universe Expansion and Dark Energy:
o Hubble helped confirm that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. This led to the discovery of dark energy, a mysterious force driving this acceleration.
2. Age of the Universe:
o Hubble provided more precise estimates for the age of the universe, now calculated to be about 13.8 billion years.
3. Deep Space Imaging (Hubble Deep Field):
o The Hubble Deep Field images revealed thousands of previously unknown galaxies, giving us a glimpse of the universe as it was billions of years ago. This contributed to our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.
4. Exoplanet Atmospheres:
o Hubble has been able to analyze the atmospheres of exoplanets, detecting signs of water vapor and other elements, advancing the search for potentially habitable worlds.
5. Black Holes:
o Hubble provided strong evidence that supermassive black holes reside at the centers of most galaxies, including the Milky Way.
6. Star Formation and Nebulae:
o Hubble’s observations of star-forming regions like the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula offered detailed insights into how stars are born and evolve.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, advanced space telescope launched by NASA on December 25, 2021. It is designed to complement and expand upon the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, particularly by observing the universe in the infrared spectrum. JWST is the most powerful space telescope ever built, allowing astronomers to see much deeper into space and time.
Key Features:
1. Primary Mirror: JWST has a large, segmented mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters, nearly three times larger than Hubble’s mirror, enabling it to capture more light from distant objects.
2. Infrared Observation: Unlike Hubble, which mainly observes visible and ultraviolet light, JWST is specialized for infrared light. This allows it to see through dust clouds and observe objects that are much further away, such as the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang.
3. Location: JWST orbits the Sun at the Lagrange Point 2 (L2), about 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Earth. This location provides a stable environment, away from Earth’s heat and light, for its sensitive instruments.
4. Mission Goals:
o Study the formation of stars and planets by looking through the dust clouds where they form.
o Observe some of the earliest galaxies and stars in the universe, providing insights into the early universe.
o Investigate the atmospheres of exoplanets for potential signs of habitability or life.