To imagine the power of this tool, it is as if from the Place-d’Armes in Metz, you can see in virtual reality using your mobile phone the development of this historical landmark of the capital of Moselle. The telescope will be able to see the flash of the cosmic dawn, when the first galaxies began to illuminate the universe since the Big Bang, nearly 14 billion years ago. But unlike the Hubble telescope, it will initially be seven times more sensitive, and therefore will be able to detect the thermal signature of a bumblebee on the moon. It will mainly take infrared images with its 6.5-meter main mirror, while Hubble observes space primarily in the visible light field.
This gigantic voyage, conceived more than 30 years ago, is the fruit of an international collaboration in which France plays a pivotal role. There is, of course, the choice of the launch site and means of transportation. This nearly $10 billion project, piloted and largely funded by NASA (7.9 billion), embeds French expertise. In one of its recent flights, Ariane 5, which will be replaced in 2022 by Ariane 6, already has the heavy task of sending the telescope into orbit. With the European Space Agency (ESA), France also provides one of four instruments that will allow the observation of far-infrared light.
The Webb Telescope should reach its position in space, 1.5 million kilometers, in at least four weeks. Tests, analyzes and the time required to deploy the sails to allow the temperature to drop to -233 degrees, will not allow us to get the first images before June 2022. Dust in the history of the universe.
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