Storiascopio · Era 12 of 12 · lower secondary year 3
The Webb telescope starts observing
2022 · Launched from Kourou (French Guiana); works 1.5 million km from the Earth
In short
The James Webb Space Telescope, built by NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, was launched on Christmas Day 2021 on a European Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. Its mirror, 6.5 metres across, is made of 18 gold-coated hexagonal pieces and travelled folded up like origami. It works 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth and mainly observes infrared light, which our eyes cannot see. On 12 July 2022 the first scientific images were revealed.
Why it matters Webb can observe galaxies born soon after the Big Bang and study the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars.
Source: ESA, “Webb”
Where we are in the era “Today”
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1953Event 25 of 252022
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-webb-telescope-starts-observing/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class