Space Telescopes Are Discovering the Wonders of the Universe
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Did you know that the James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the aging Hubble Space Telescope? It’s currently the most advanced piece of observational equipment ever built.
Scientists hope to use James Webb to observe exoplanets in the vicinity of our solar system and find planets that are potentially habitable. The new space telescope will also allow scientists to observe what our universe was like as far back as 250 million years after the Big Bang.
How does it do this? Through the use of massive gold-coated mirrors. In fact, most telescopes today use mirrors instead of lenses.
By utilizing mirrors, engineers require far less glass in the construction of space telescopes leading to an overall decrease in the weight of the instrument, making it easier to launch into space.
But wait! Did we just say that we launch telescopes into space? Yes! we did and we do.
How do these space telescopes work? What's the science, technology, and engineering behind them? How do they compare to Earth telescopes and what discoveries do they make? We bring you the answers to all these questions and more in our video.