NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Reached Final Destination, First Reading In July
James Webb Space Telescope has finally reached its destination. After a month that felt like a decade, the "time machine" reached its final orbit in space at a point called "L2".
Webb's journey began about a month ago and the telescope reached its destination on Monday, marking a giant victory for space scientists who hope that the space observatory would reveal ancient secrets of the universe to us.
First readings in July
While the first readings from James Webb Telescope would not come in before July, the successful deployment of the telescope is a remarkable feat in itself. Now, it'll orbit the L2 or Earth-Sun Lagrange point 2 - about 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth on the side opposite our Sun.
The telescope was able to successfully deploy all of its 18 primary mirror segments just a day before reaching its final destination.
Also read:?7 Crazy Facts About NASA's James Webb Space Telescope That Will Blow Your Mind
Owing to its giant size, the telescope was folded into a rocket. Over the course of the last month, it unfurled in space to reach its current form. An experiment of this kind had never been undertaken before, which is why it has changed the game for study of universe in the future.
Made over the last decade with a cost of over $10 billion, the space observatory hopes to peek straight at the starting point of the universe to better explain where we came from.
Also read:?Watch James Webb Telescope Flying Through Space Like A Tiny Star
L2 was chosen as the point of orbit for James Webb because its path has the right characteristics to allow a stable position for the giant telescope.
What do you think about this giant scientific feat achieved by NASA and its partner space agencies? Let us know in the comments below.??For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.
