CNN asked readers what you wanted to know about the telescope and its mission.
Here’s what they said.
How much does it cost to make a telescope?
Stefanie Milam: To build, launch and operate the Webb telescope, NASA spent $ 8.8 billion. When operating costs are included, the total bill comes to more than $9.66 billion.
How long does a telescope take to build?
Milam: In the late 80s, Webb moved from an idea to a real mission concept.
In 1996, there was an official recommendation to build an infrared telescope in space.
Construction began in 2004 and was completed in 2019 with final assembly of parts.
What is the main mission of the telescope?
Mount Matt: This is the most complicated telescope ever built, so it has to work first.
Second, we wanted to delve deeper into parts of the universe that we had never seen before. We wanted to be able to go back in time to see how the first stars and galaxies were born. We want to see how stars are formed into molecular clouds.
We then wanted to explore nearby stars with planets to see if we could find water on their surfaces. This is the first sign that there may be life there.
How do telescopes work?
Milam: It works by pointing the telescope at any object in space. The light is then reflected through the primary mirror to a secondary mirror into the instrument module as the image and spectrum (light waves) are collected. Then we send that data down to Earth.
How deep will this telescope see compared to other telescopes?
What can telescopes at a distance see?
Sara Seager: The telescope can look back in time more than 13 billion light years. If we want to translate that into a long distance, it’s a distance of 80 billion trillion miles.
Where will the telescope go?
Seager: The telescope will travel very, very far. It will be 1 million miles from Earth at a special Earth-Sun equilibrium, where it is cold, dark, and well-suited for astronomy.
This NASA illustration shows that, unlike Hubble, which orbits Earth, Webb will orbit the sun. This orbit is called the second Lagrange point or L2.
Why have we not seen any signs of life (intelligent or otherwise) so far?
Seager: We haven’t found signs of life through the atmospheres of planets and exoplanets yet because we haven’t been able to.
As for smart life, that’s a whole different story – we’re listening to the message, but smart life has yet to send us a message as far as what our telescopes have. can say.
What if the telescope found life somewhere in outer space? Next step?
Milam: JWST will not be looking for life on other planets, but it will characterize their atmospheres, looking for molecules of interest such as water, carbon dioxide and methane. These molecules will give us an idea of what’s happening on that planet, which we’ll be monitoring with future telescopes.
Once started up, will the Webb telescope be up and running right away, or does it take some setup time?
Mountain: When it was launched, the telescope was not ready. It’s encased in its cocoon, and it must expand like a butterfly over a million miles of space. After about a month, it will take shape and then scientists have to make all the instruments and mirrors work. About six months after launch, the Webb telescope will be ready to take its first pictures.
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