CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is an infrared space observatory that launched on Dec 25, 2021, from ESA’s launch site at Kourou in French Guiana, at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT; 9:20 a.m. local time in Kourou), aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket.

Detailed explanation-2: -But back when NASA was designing and building what’s now its flagship telescope, an administrator unilaterally decided to name the powerful instrument after James Webb, an accomplished leader who oversaw the Apollo program that sent astronauts to the moon.

Detailed explanation-3: -Webb was launched from Arianespace’s ELA-3 launch complex at Europe’s Spaceport located near Kourou, French Guiana. It is beneficial for launch sites to be located near the equator - the spin of the Earth can help give an additional push.

Detailed explanation-4: -Webb Space Telescope has four scientific instruments to observe primarily in the infrared range and provide coverage from 0.6 to 28 microns. The instruments on Hubble mainly focus on the ultraviolet and visible parts of the spectrum. It could observe only a small range in the infrared from 0.8 to 2.5 microns.

Detailed explanation-5: -The James Webb Space Telescope is an international collaboration among NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).