The James Webb Space Telescope arrives at the observation position

San Francisco, January 24 (China News Service) -- The US media reported on the 24th local time that after a month of flight, the James Webb Space Telescope reached an observation position about 1.5 million kilometers from the earth on the same day.

The New York Times reported that at about 2:05 p.m. EST on the 24th, engineers confirmed that the James Webb Space Telescope had successfully reached the final observation position, that is, the second Lagrange point of the helio-Terrestrial system about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. This is the equilibrium point of the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Earth, and the telescope, under the combined gravity of the two celestial bodies of the Sun and the Earth, can obtain the centripetal force needed to move synchronously with the Earth. The James Webb Space Telescope will stay on Earth's night surface, orbiting the Sun in sync with Earth. The Associated Press reported that on the same day, the thrusters operated according to the instructions for nearly 5 minutes to adjust the telescope to a designated orbit around the sun.

On December 25, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope was launched aboard Europe's Ariane 5 rocket. Three days later, staff began remotely deploying visors. On January 4 this year, NASA announced on its official website that the 70-foot-long (about 21.336 meters) sun visor of the James Webb Space Telescope has been fully unfolded. This is an important milestone since the telescope lifted off and is also considered the most risky step. On January 8, with the successful launch of the main mirror, the James Webb Space Telescope successfully achieved "full deployment".

After months of inspections, the James Webb Space Telescope will begin collecting data and images in June. It will search for the first galaxies that emerged in the universe more than 13.5 billion years ago, study the various stages of galaxy evolution, and observe the formation of star and planetary systems. At the same time, it will also determine the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems, including the solar system planetary system, and study the possibility of life in other planetary systems.

The James Webb Space Telescope, jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, is the most powerful and expensive space telescope that has been built, and is considered the "successor" of hubble. It costs about $10 billion, weighs 7 tons, has a main mirror diameter of 6.5 meters, and is composed of 18 huge hexagonal sprites, which collect more than five times the area of Hubble telescope. Due to its size, the James Webb Space Telescope was folded into a rocket fairing by the crew. (End)