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The James Webb Space Telescope has reached its final destination, almost a month after launch.
Since lifting off from French Guiana on December 25, the telescope has unfurled its tennis court-size sunshield and unfolded a massive gold mirror that will help it study the universe in new ways and peer inside the atmosphere of exoplanets.
The telescope’s point of observation is nearly a million miles away from Earth and beyond the moon itself. The space observatory experienced its final burn on Monday to enter this orbit called L2.
“Webb, welcome home!” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement. “Congratulations to the team for all of their hard work ensuring Webb’s safe arrival at L2 today. We’re one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe. And I can’t wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer!”
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The L2 point is ideal for Webb because the gravitational forces of the sun and Earth will basically ensure the spacecraft doesn’t have to use much thrust to stay in orbit. And it will allow the telescope to have an unimpeded view of the universe, unlike Hubble, which moves in and out of Earth’s shadow every 90 minutes.
The position of Webb also means continuous, stable communication is possible between teams on Earth and the space observatory using the Deep Space Network, composed of three massive antenna ground stations in Australia, Spain and California.
Now that Webb is in orbit, the spacecraft will spend the next five months calibrating its instruments. The first images captured by the observatory are expected this summer.
FoundingFrog
Article URL : https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/24/world/james-webb-space-telescope-orbit-scn/index.html