JWST
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Astronomy & Space
| Stands for | James Webb Space Telescope |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
JWST stands for James Webb Space Telescope, an astronomy & Space abbreviation.
Largest and most powerful space telescope ever launched, observing mainly in infrared light from an orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Its 6.5-meter mirror of 18 gold-coated beryllium segments studies the first galaxies, star birth and the atmospheres of exoplanets.
Example: JWST detected carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-39b.
Usage notes
A partnership of NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, it launched on an Ariane 5 rocket on December 25, 2021, and released its first full-color images on July 12, 2022. A tennis-court-sized sunshield keeps its instruments below about 50 kelvins. It is named after James E. Webb, NASA administrator from 1961 to 1968; the naming drew criticism over his tenure's record on gay and lesbian employees.
Related abbreviations
More astronomy & Space abbreviations
- IAU – International Astronomical Union
- ISRO – Indian Space Research Organisation
- ISS – International Space Station
- JAXA – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
- JD – Julian date (Julian Day number)
- JPL – Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- KBO – Kuiper belt object
- kpc – Kiloparsec
- LCDM – Lambda cold dark matter
- LEM – Lunar Excursion Module
- LEO – Low Earth orbit
- LISA – Laser Interferometer Space Antenna