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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, described by The New Yorker as a “potentially revolutionary instrument”, is expected to be launched into orbit a million kilometers from Earth later this year. If all goes according to plan, it should be able to give scientists a clearer glimpse of the universe’s past than ever before, but it could also tell us a lot about things a little closer to us.
David Helfland, astronomer at Columbia University, said The New Yorker that the JWST will be able to examine both the “‘Very far’ and the ‘Very near'”. different from Earth. “
These planets, called exoplanets, lie beyond the solar system and are the subject of a burgeoning scientific field called exoplanetology. Although they don’t emit light, Helfland explained that when they “walk past a star, they leave a kind of fingerprint,” which can be read for clues. It is hoped that JWST will use these relatives to study the atmospheres of these planets and see if there are any signs of life, such as the detection of oxygen or other gases. Learn more about the JWST at The New Yorker.
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