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Takeoff of the James Space Telescope Webb is once again postponed due to weather conditions. After 25 years of work, this telescope, the most powerful ever conceived, could usher in a new era in the understanding of the universe.
James Webb is the telescope of all superlatives: 25 years of work, 10,000 people involved, and an initial cost tripled. The project, titanic, brings together Americans, Europeans and Canadians. Its major asset is its 6.5 meter mirror. It will allow it to observe stars 100 times less bright than its predecessor, the Hubble telescope. James Webb will observe the universe in the infrared, in order to see through the immense shades of gas and dust, revealing entire regions of the universe.
Astrophysicists will also be able to go back in time, observing the formation of the first galaxies. They will see the most distant and oldest stars, now extinct and whose light was emitted more than 13 billion years ago. Finally, James Webb could accelerate the study of exoplanets. It will be possible to determine the composition of their atmosphere, their cloud and detect the presence of water, with the hope of finding a planet similar in size to Earth, which could harbor life. Before, he will have to make a long journey, in order to settle 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. If all goes as planned, he could be able operate for ten years.