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The James Webb Space Telescope, which was launched at a cost of over 10 trillion won for many years, is highly anticipated by scientists studying space. This is because it is possible to obtain the clearest image of a celestial body ever recorded in space without atmospheric interference.
But there are many scientists waiting for the James Webb Space Telescope and there is only one telescope, so many scientists have to wait their turn. NASA is currently in the midst of setting and coordinating its observational goals. During the first year, major observational targets range from the nearest exoplanets to the most distant galaxies. One surprise is that the James Webb Space Telescope also observes objects in our solar system.
Heidi Hammel of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team noted that 7 percent of the James Webb Space Telescope’s first year missions would be devoted to exploration of the solar system. There are scientific reasons to consider that there are already numerous NASA probes exploring the solar system, and there are many planets and satellites in the solar system that can be observed with terrestrial telescopes.
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The most important targets for exploration of the solar system are Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Europa, which appears to be a liquid ocean beneath a thick crust of ice, is a top priority for scientists looking for life.
Previously, the Hubble Space Telescope had confirmed evidence of water vapor coming out of cracks in Europa’s ice crust, but could not confirm which molecules were mixed. The team expects to answer this question with the powerful performance of the James Webb Space Telescope. The same goes for Enceladus, where water vapor spews into space.
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Unlike Jupiter and Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, which have not been reached by probes since the Voyager era, are also major observational targets. Since it was not possible to send a separate probe, the Hubble Space Telescope was responsible for observing Neptune and Uranus. Now it’s the James Webb Space Telescope’s turn to take over the baton with more powerful performance.
Objects outside the solar system, which are too far from Earth to be observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, or from which only very limited information has been obtained, are also major observational targets. Among the dwarf planets outside the solar system, Pluto is the only planet that sent a probe.
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However, there are also dwarf planets larger than Pluto in the far outskirts of the solar system. The James Webb Space Telescope is the only way humans can take a closer look at this celestial body.
Scientists have observed the universe more than 10 billion light-years away, but there are still many secrets of the solar system that have not been solved. The James Webb Space Telescope will be humanity’s brightest eye to unravel the mysteries still lurking throughout the solar system.
Gordon Jung Science Columnist [email protected]