The James Webb Telescope launches into space to serve as humanity's new eye on the universe

Weather of Arabia - On a journey that carried the hopes of astronomers around the world to understand the mysteries of the universe, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration "NASA" and its partners launched the "James Webb" space telescope, to be a new eye for humanity on the universe, with capabilities far exceeding anything before.

The James Webb Telescope launched on Saturday (December 25) aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from the European Space Base in Kourou, French Guiana, and half an hour after launch, the telescope separated from the rocket head and began its four-week journey to its destination. It is the second "Lagrange point", located about 1.5 million kilometers from the planet Earth, three times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

We have LIFTOFF of the @NASAWebb Space Telescope!

At 7:20am ET (12:20 UTC), the beginning of a new, exciting decade of science climbed to the sky. Webb's mission to #UnfoldTheUniverse will change our understanding of space as we know it. pic.twitter.com/Al8Wi5c0K6

— NASA (@NASA) December 25, 2021

James Webb represents a joint project between NASA and the European and Canadian Space Agency, where thousands of engineers and hundreds of scientists worked to make the James Webb Observatory a reality, in cooperation with more than 300 universities, organizations and companies from 29 US states and 14 countries, as work continued. It was built over 25 years at a cost of about $10 billion.

NASA had a greater role in the project, with its contribution amounting to 8.8 billion dollars, compared to 815 million from the European Space Agency and 165 million from the Canadian side.

Media reports indicated that James Webb, who is supposed to succeed the Hubble Observatory, exceeds it by 100 times in terms of power, pointing out that the new telescope is equipped with the largest mirror in the world with a diameter of 6.5 meters (more than three times the Hubble mirror). .

Experts pointed out that the most difficult stage in James Webb's mission lies in opening the mirror and its sunscreen in a correct and coordinated manner, and placing them in an ideal condition after arriving at his destination.

#Webb is now separated from @ariane5 and flying on its own! #WebbfliesAriane #JWST pic.twitter.com/fKH2g5IydO

— ESA Webb Telescope (@ESA_Webb) December 25, 2021

Many astronomers link with "James Webb" their hopes of revealing many of the secrets of the beginning of the universe, and the new telescope, thanks to its advanced capabilities, will study the oldest known stars and galaxies in addition to studying black holes and searching for signs of life on other planets.