Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

James Webb 'super telescope' set for Christmas Day blast off

James Webb 'super telescope' set for Christmas Day blast off

Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expected to lift off from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana on Saturday morning after a 48-hour delay due to technical glitches and tropical storms.

The €10 billion telescope – fitted into the hold of an Ariane 5 rocket – should have left on 22 December. However, if final weather checks prove favourable, blast-off should occur between 7.20 and 7.52am local time, or 12.20 GMT.

The telescope will be released from the rocket after a 26-minute ride into space.

It will then boldly go where no ubertelescope has gone before – 1.6 million kilometres from Earth to a destination known as the second Lagrange Point, or L2. This is a so-called "sweet spot" in space where gravitational forces and the orbital motion of a body balance each other.

Unlike Hubble, the existing main space telescope that revolves around Earth, the JWST will orbit the Sun.

Webb's centerpiece is its giant primary mirror, a concave structure 21.5 feet (6.5 meters) wide and made up of 18 smaller hexagonal mirrors


Named after Nasa's chief during the 1960s, the telescope's primary mirror – consisting of 18 hexagonal segments of gold-coated beryllium metal – has a much bigger light-collecting area, enabling it to observe objects at greater distances and farther back into time than Hubble.

New look


It is expected to revolutionise astronomers' understanding of the universe and our place in it.

The JWST will view the cosmos in the infrared spectrum, allowing it to gaze through clouds of gas and dust where stars are being born, while Hubble operated primarily at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths.


Webb's instruments also make it ideal to search for potentially life-supporting atmospheres around scores of newly documented exoplanets – celestial bodies orbiting distant stars – and to observe worlds much closer to home, such as Mars and Saturn's icy moon Titan.

The telescope is an international collaboration led by Nasa in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies. The Ariane launch vehicle is part of the European contribution.

“The whole reason we launch telescopes like Webb is that we know that planets of all sizes are out there," said Dr Knicole Colón, an astrophysicist at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre in the United States.

"We want to find ones that have similar temperatures and sizes as Earth to see if they could possibly be anything like Earth.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×