The Hubble Space Telescope is shown in a combination of images made available by NASA. Even though the two are vastly different, NASA and the European Space Agency's Hubble is seen as its successor even though it is 100 times more powerful than the bigger, more powerful, Webb. NASA via AP
Astronomers should not be asked to choose between the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Susan Mullally, deputy project scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, said that comparing Hubble and Webb was like asking if you will love your second child as much as your first.
Hubble will continue to collect important data for astronomy and will be loved for its awe-inspiring images of our universe. We have never been to places that we have never been able to reach before.
Even though the two are vastly different, NASA and the European Space Agency's Hubble is seen as its successor even though it is 100 times more powerful than the bigger, more powerful, Webb. The liftoff is scheduled for Saturday morning.
The lowdown on Hubble and his successor.
There areOCKETRIDES.
Hubble was tucked inside the space shuttle Discovery in 1990. The telescope's solar wings jammed as it was being unfurled. The astronauts were ready for an emergency spacewalk, but were forced to free the panel. Hubble's blurry vision was detected within weeks. Three years later, astronauts fixed it. The European Ariane rocket that flew Webb from South America will not be reachable by astronauts at its destination. If its mirror and sun shield snarl, it will be a goner.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope onboard is rolled out to the launch pad. After years of delay, the James Webb Space Telescope is set to soar, and it will be able to see the light from the first stars and galaxies. Credit is given to Bill Ingalls/NASA.
Let there be light.
Light from the universe's first stars and galaxies are expected to show up in the telescope. The light will show how the stars looked millions of years ago. The oldest and farthest object ever observed was revealed by Hubble as far back as 13.4 billion years. The gap between the time the universe formed and the time when it exploded is 300 million years. It's like looking at the picture book of my kids and missing the first two years, right? NASA science chief Thomas Zurbuchen said they were trying to figure out where they came from.
InFRARED VISION.
Hubble sees what we see with visible light. It can pierce clouds of dust with its vision. As the universe expands, the shorter visible and ultraviolet wavelengths emitted by the first stars and galaxies have been stretched, so that they are now in their heat-emitting form. That's the reason the detectors need to run at minus 400 degrees. The parasol is the size of a tennis court. The sun shield's five layers have a gap between them. Multiple layers are better at protecting against micrometeorite hits.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope onboard, is seen in the final assembly building ahead of the planned roll to the launch pad, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, at Europe's Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. In this photo provided by NASA, Chris Gunn.
Size matters.
The largest mirror ever launched for astronomy is needed to see the universe's first faint stars. Hubble's mirror is 8 feet across, but the mirror is more than 21 feet long. The mirror is made of a lightweight metal. It can fold like a drop-leaf table for launch. The 18 hexagonal segments are the size of a coffee table and coated with ultra-thin gold, which is an ideal reflector of IR light.
There is a location.
The Hubble flies over 330 miles. The altitude was determined by the capabilities of NASA's space shuttles, which were used to deliver the Hubble Telescope. The second lagrange point is 1 million miles away and will be where Webb is headed. This is where the Earth and sun's forces balance, requiring minimal fuel for a spaceship to stay put. As the planet and the spacecraft swoop around the sun in unison, the night side of Earth will be seen.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope onboard is rolled out to the launch pad. After years of delay, the James Webb Space Telescope is set to soar, and it will be able to see the light from the first stars and galaxies. Credit is given to Bill Ingalls/NASA.
Plants are growing.
The Hubble was years late and millions over budget. The cost overruns are years late. The tab for Hubble was adjusted for inflation. All the shuttle flights for launch and repairs are not included. The first five years of operation cost an estimated $10 billion. The European Space Agency is picking up the costs of the Ariane rocket that will lift off from French Guiana.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope onboard, is seen in the final assembly building ahead of the planned roll to the launch pad, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, at Europe's Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Credit is given to Bill Ingalls/NASA.
There are two names: bumble and webb.
The universe is constantly expanding a century ago, when astronomer Hubble confirmed that countless galaxies exist beyond our Milky Way. The early phase of Apollo's moon-landing program was led by James Webb. The new telescope was named after him in 2002. Some scientists want a new name for the State Department and NASA, which were fired for being gay, during the Truman administration. Administrator Bill Nelson said there was no evidence to warrant changing the name of the space agency.
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The EXPLAINER: Veteran Hubble vs. the new Webb space telescope was retrieved on December 23, 2021.
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