James Webb Space Telescope Launch: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, most powerful space telescope ever constructed, will lift off today from the Guiana Space Center, South America.
The technology will study every phase of cosmic history — from within solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe. Webb’s infrared telescope will explore a wide range of science questions to help us understand the origins of the universe and our place in it.
The telescope will directly observe a part of space and time never seen before. It will gaze into the epoch when the very first stars and galaxies formed, over 13.5 billion years ago.
Ultraviolet and visible light emitted by the very first luminous objects has been stretched or “redshifted" by the universe’s continual expansion and arrives today as infrared light. Webb is designed to “see" this infrared light with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity, as per a detailed statement from NASA.
The largest telescope will also be help in studying the nearby universe.
Scientists will use it to study planets and other bodies in the solar system to determine their origin and evolution and compare them with exoplanets, planets that orbit other stars.
Webb will also observe exoplanets located in their stars’ habitable zones, the regions where a planet could harbor liquid water on its surface, and can determine if and where signatures of habitability may be present.
Using a technique called transmission spectroscopy, the observatory will examine starlight filtered through planetary atmospheres to learn about their chemical compositions.
Where to watch: NASA will webcast entire launch LIVE
For live coverage, you can visit - www.nasa.gov
When to watch: 7:20 a.m. EST (5:50 pm in India)
Launch site: Arianespace’s ELA-3 launch complex at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG), or Guiana Space Center
