JWST Now Looks Like a Telescope

Jan 12, 2022 | Daily Space, JWST

IMAGE: This artist’s conception of the James Webb Space Telescope in space shows all its major elements fully deployed. The telescope was folded to fit into its launch vehicle, and then was slowly unfolded over the course of two weeks after launch. CREDIT: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched with the primary goal of measuring the expansion rate of the universe. It turns out the best Hubble has been able to do so far is post an update stating, “It’s complicated.”

The JWST is now getting ready to enter the scene and add its own complications to our understanding of the universe, assuming it works, and until we have healthy data, we’re going to have that caveat. At this point, the obviously scary parts of its assembly are over, however, and the origami telescope has been unfolded to form a complete telescope. We are still watching to see if its actuators and other systems work, allowing it to focus and image, but it at least looks like a telescope.

More Information

NASA press release

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