12-19 Notes Compare and contrast the Hubble Space Telescope with James.docx
- 1. 12:19 Notes Compare and contrast the Hubble Space Telescope with James Webb Space Telescope (JwST). Solution 1) Type of light do the telescopes see : Hubble : Hubble’s main focus is on visible and ultraviolet light. Its instruments can observe a small portion of the infrared spectrum from 0.8 to 2.5 microns, but not to the extent that James Webb can. Instead it focuses its unique ultraviolet (0.1 to 0.4 micron) capabilities. Webb space: James Webb has been designed to focus on the infrared part of the spectrum from 0.6 (red light) to 28 microns (infrared). This means it won’t be able to see in ultraviolet light like Hubble, but will be able to focus on infrared bright objects like extremely distant galaxies. 2) Size: Hubble : Hubble is 13.2 meters (43.5 ft.) long and its maximum diameter is 4.2 meters (14 ft.) It is about the size of a large tractor-trailer truck. Webb space : James Webb's sunshield is about 22 meters by 12 meters (69.5 ft x 46.5 ft). It's about half as big as a 737 aircraft. The sunshield is about the size of a tennis court. 3) distances between the telescopes and Earth Hubble : The Hubble Space Telescope orbits around the Earth at an altitude of ~570 km above it. Webb space: James Webb will not actually orbit the Earth - instead it will sit at the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange point, 1.5 million km away! At the L2 point James Webb's solar shield will block the light from the Sun, Earth, and Moon. This will help James Webb stay cool, which is very important for an infrared telescope. I hope this would be helpful ...