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Golden Eye
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Golden Eye

A new space telescope makes a spectacular debut after a troubled gestation

Daniel Clery
Science, 2022
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Scientific
  • Eye Opening
  • Engaging

Recommendation

“It’s hard to even fathom,” US President Joe Biden said, in something of an understatement, as he unveiled the first image captured by the most powerful space telescope ever launched by humanity. Astronomers marveled as the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) gigantic golden mirror unfolded in deep space, recording light from galaxies as old as 13 billion years. The live White House event represented the bare beginnings of what scientists hope launches a new era in astronomy, revealing what the universe consists of, where it’s going and whether there’s life beyond Earth.

Summary

JWST is the most complex and expensive science mission ever launched into space.

Built by NASA and space agencies from Europe and Canada, JWST deserves the presidential introduction it received. Over 20 years of construction and at a cost of $10 billion, JWST faced numerous challenges that could have ended its mission. After it was finally launched, engineers nervously watched for a month as its giant sunshield and golden mirror unfolded over 1.5 million kilometers. There were 344 critical steps during this initial stage alone. 

Astronomers described the first images and data from JWST as “beautiful” and “mind-blowing.”

With its infrared-sensitive instruments and the largest mirror ever launched into space, JWST looks further out into the universe than any other telescope, including Hubble. It can record minute details of closer celestial bodies and examine alien atmospheres. Scientists are beginning to file reports on the telescope’s findings, which will “revolutionize our picture of the cosmos.”

Science magazine named JWST its “2022 Breakthrough of...

About the Author

Daniel Clery is senior correspondent at Science, and an editor at the magazine since 1993. He is the author of A Piece of the Sun: The Quest for Fusion Energy.

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