NASA set to launch space telescope ‘100 times more powerful’ than Hubble
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Scott Pelley explored NASA’s new James Webb space telescope on Sunday’s “60 Minutes.” The $10 billion telescope is fueled up and set for launch on December 22nd. Project astrophysicist Amber Straughn explained why the Hubble telescope’s new replacement is so important.
“Telescopes really are time machines,” Straughn said. “They literally allow us to see into the past. And the reason for that is just due to the nature of how light travels.”
The Webb has 21 feet of gold-plated mirrors, making it six times bigger than the Hubble telescope’s mirror and capable of catching the earliest star light in creation.
“It's like we have this 14-billion-year-old story of the universe, but we're missing that first chapter. And Webb was specifically designed to allow us to see those very first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang.”
It took over 25 years to design and build the telescope which should be capable of exploring dark matter and giving scientists a glimpse into the unknown.
Video Transcript
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SCOTT PELLEY: 100 times more powerful than the 31-year-old Hubble Telescope, Webb can see back in time all the way to the "let there be light" moment.
KYLIE MAR: Scott Pelley explored NASA's new James Webb Telescope on Sunday's "60 Minutes." The $10 billion telescope is fueled up and set for launch on December 22. And project astrophysicist Amber Straughn explains why the Hubble Telescope's new replacement is so important.
AMBER STRAUGHN: Telescopes really are time machines. They literally allow us to see into the past. And the reason for that is just due to the nature of how light travels.
KYLIE MAR: The Webb has 21 feet of gold-plated mirrors, making it six times bigger than the Hubble's mirror, and capable of catching the earliest starlight in creation.
AMBER STRAUGHN: It's like we have this 14-billion-year-old story of the universe, but we're missing that first chapter. And Webb was specifically designed to allow us to see those very first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang.
KYLIE MAR: It took over 25 years to design and build the telescope, which should be capable of exploring dark matter and giving scientists a glimpse into the unknown.
SCOTT PELLEY: The first images in six months or so will be converted from invisible infrared into pictures suitable for headlines. Chances are what we see we will not understand, the very definition of wonder.
