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James Webb Space Telescope Facts for Kids

James Webb Space Telescope Facts for Kids

  • Telescope Name: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
  • Telescope Type: Space Telescope (Korsch)
  • Telescope Mission: Astronomy (Infrared)
  • Telescope Operator: NASA, ESA, and CSA
  • Entered Service Date: July 12th, 2022
  • Mission Duration: 10 to 20 Years
  • Named in Honor Of: American government official James Edwin Webb

17 James Webb Space Telescope Facts For Kids

  1. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the largest and most advanced space telescope in the world.
  2. The James Webb Space Telescope is also referred to as Webb or JWST.
  3. The James Webb Space Telescope can conduct infrared astronomy, it can see celestial bodies and objects that are too distant, faint, or old for the Hubble Space Telescope.
  4. The James Webb Space Telescope is a Korsch telescope (three-mirror anastigmat telescope).
  5. The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest optical telescope currently in space.
  6. The James Webb Space Telescope is powered by a solar array that can generate 2,000 watts of electricity and a propulsion system for orbit corrections.
  7. The James Webb Space Telescope can send around 57.2 gigabytes of science data everyday at a speed of 28 megabits per second.
  8. James Webb Space Telescope is named in honor of past NASA administrator James E. Webb. Prior to being named in honor of Webb, the James Webb Space Telescope was called the Next Generation Space Telescope.
  9. It took 26 years for the James Webb Space Telescope to go from project approval to entering service.
  10. The contract to build the James Webb Space Telescope was awarded to American aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman in 2003.
  11. The entire cost to develop the James Webb Space Telescope was 10 billion dollars (2016, USD).
  12. The James Webb Space Telescope is operated by NASA (via STScI), ESA and CSA.
  13. The James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space at 12:20 UTC on December 25th, 2021.
  14. The James Webb Space Telescope became operational for mission use on July 12th, 2022.
  15. The James Webb Space Telescope has a planned mission length of 10 years and a life expectancy of 20 years.
  16. The first high-quality images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope were released by NASA on July 12th, 2022.
  17. The James Webb Space Telescope does not orbit the Earth, it orbits the Sun at 1 million miles from Earth. However, the James Webb Space Telescope and Earth orbit together and are always in line with one another.

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James Web Space Telescope Pictures

Pictures are one of the best ways for people to learning about something. That is why we are providing you with the below images to help you with your research on the James Webb Space Telescopes. Below you will find three pictures of the James Webb Space Telescopes. These pictures should help you better understand James Webb Space Telescopes and what it looks like.

The Front Of The James Webb Space Telescope

A picture of the front of the James Webb Space Telescope.

The Back Of The James Webb Space Telescope

A picture of the back of the James Webb Space Telescope.

The Side Of The James Webb Space Telescope

A picture of the side of the James Webb Space Telescope.

James Web Space Telescope Resources

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