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Space telescope

James Webb Space Telescope

Also known as JWST

ObservatoriesOperational6.5 m aperture

Imagery

By the Dozen: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Mirrors

Caption: One dozen (out of 18) flight mirror segments that make up the primary mirror on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have been installed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

2016

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center · NASA media (public domain)

Source archive ↗

Overview

The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest space observatory, observing the infrared universe from the Sun–Earth L2 point.

Instruments

  • NIRCamNear-infrared camera
  • MIRIMid-infrared instrument
  • NIRSpecNear-infrared spectrograph
  • NIRISSNear-infrared imager and spectrograph

Observing bands

Major discoveries

  • Detection of the earliest known galaxies
  • Detailed exoplanet atmospheric spectra

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.