How will Webb be better than the Hubble Space Telescope?
Webb is designed to look deeper into space to see the earliest stars and galaxies that formed in the Universe and to look deep into nearby dust clouds to study the formation of stars and planets. In order to do this, Webb will have a much larger primary mirror than Hubble (2.5 times larger in diameter, or about 6 times larger in area), giving it more light-gathering power. It also will have infrared instruments with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity than Hubble. Finally, Webb will operate much farther from Earth, maintaining its extremely cold operating temperature, stable pointing and higher observing efficiency than with the Earth-orbiting Hubble. Here is a feature that contrasts Webb with Hubble. • When will Webb be launched? Webb is scheduled for launch in 2013. • How will Webb be launched? Webb will be launched on an Ariane 5 ECA rocket. The launch vehicle is part of the European contribution to the mission. Additional information may be obtained here. •
Webb is designed to look deeper into space to see the earliest stars and galaxies that formed in the Universe and to look deep into nearby dust clouds to study the formation of stars and planets. In order to do this, Webb will have a much larger primary mirror than Hubble (2.5 times larger in diameter, or about 6 times larger in area), giving it more light-gathering power. It also will have infrared instruments with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity than Hubble. Finally, Webb will operate much farther from Earth, maintaining its extremely cold operating temperature, stable pointing and higher observing efficiency than with the Earth-orbiting Hubble. Here is a feature that contrasts Webb with Hubble. • When will Webb be launched? Webb is scheduled for launch in 2014. • How will Webb be launched? Webb will be launched on an Ariane 5 ECA rocket. The launch vehicle is part of the European contribution to the mission. Additional information may be obtained here. •
