A large infrared space telescope developed by NASA with ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, launched in 2021 and positioned near the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point. Its infrared sensitivity allows it to observe galaxies from closer to the early universe than any prior telescope.
Facts
Observatory TypeSpace telescope (infrared) 1 LocationSun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, about 1.5 million km from Earth 1 MeasuresMeasures infrared light, from long-wavelength visible red through mid-infrared, 0.6 to 28.5 micrometers. 2 Operating PrincipleUses a segmented primary mirror of 18 hexagonal beryllium segments that unfolded after launch, combined with a multi-layer sunshield that keeps the instruments cold enough for infrared observation. 2 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
James Webb, Pioneers The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, was named in his honor.
The Webb telescope observes from near the Sun-Earth L2 point.
Operated By
Developed jointly with ESA and the Canadian Space Agency; NASA leads operations.
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.