The Westport Library Resource Guides: Space Telescopes: Hubble and James Webb

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What Is the James Webb Space Telescope?

Webb will be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It will study every phase of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.

Webb ws formerly known as the "Next Generation Space Telescope" (NGST), it was renamed in September 2002 after a former NASA administrator, James Webb.

Webb is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is managing the development effort. Continue reading from The Goddard Space Flight Center

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched from French Guinea on December 25, 2021.

What Is the Hubble Space Telescope?

The Hubble Space Telescope was the first astronomical observatory to be placed into orbit around Earth with the ability to record images in wavelengths of light spanning from ultraviolet to near infrared. Launched on April 24, 2990, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, Hubble is currently located about 340 miles (57 km) above Earth's surface, where it completes 15 orbits per day—approximately one every 95 minutes. The satellite moves at the speed of about five miles (8 km) per second, fast enough travel across the United States in about 10 minutes.

The space telescope can distinguish astronomical objects with an angular diameter of a mere 0.05 arcseond—the equivalent to discerning the width of a dime from a distance of 86 miles (1.38 km). The resolution is abut 10 times better than the best typically attained by even larger, ground-based telescopes. Continue reading from NASA