Скачать или смотреть How does JWST work?

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a giant space telescope designed to explore the depths of the universe using infrared light. It aims to make groundbreaking discoveries, from the early universe to the formation of stars and planets.

How It Works
JWST's operation is primarily based on collecting light reflected from its mirrors:

Large, Gold Mirror: It boasts a massive, gold-coated primary mirror measuring 6.5 meters across, composed of 18 hexagonal segments. This mirror collects infrared light from space. After hitting the primary mirror, this light is then directed to a smaller secondary mirror. The secondary mirror, in turn, sends the collected light to the telescope's core scientific instruments.

Infrared Focus: As the universe expands, light from distant celestial objects "redshifts" (meaning its wavelength lengthens and shifts towards the infrared spectrum). Webb detects this infrared light, allowing it to peer through dust and gas clouds and gather information from the universe's earliest periods. This capability helps scientists study how stars and planets formed.

Sun Shield: A crucial component is its five-layered, immense sunshield, which protects the telescope from heat and light emitted by the Sun, Earth, and Moon. To detect infrared light, the telescope must remain extremely cold (around −223 degrees Celsius), making this shield vital for its operation.

Scientific Instruments: The telescope is equipped with specialized cameras (like NIRCam and MIRI) and spectrographs that analyze the collected light. These instruments convert the incoming infrared light into digital data and images, enabling scientists to analyze the chemical composition, temperature, and distance of celestial bodies.

Distant Orbit: JWST orbits at a Lagrange point (L2), approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. This stable position allows the telescope to remain consistently cold and conduct uninterrupted observations.



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