NASA is sharing the James Webb Space Telescope images at this flickr account.
There are higher-resolution images of the Carina Nebula and some other known great astronomical views. It can also image individual stars in certain distant galaxies.
The James Webb space telescope had massive delays and cost overruns. It is good that it is finally up and doing its work.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (shortened as Roman or the Roman Space Telescope, and formerly the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope or WFIRST) is a NASA infrared space telescope currently in development and scheduled to launch no later than May 2027.
The Roman Space Telescope is based on an existing 2.4 m (7.9 ft) wide field of view primary mirror and will carry two scientific instruments. The Wide-Field Instrument (WFI) is a 300.8-megapixel multi-band visible and near-infrared camera, providing a sharpness of images comparable to that achieved by the Hubble Space Telescope over a 0.28 square degree field of view, 100 times larger than imaging cameras on the Hubble.
The Coronagraphic Instrument (CGI) is a high-contrast, small field of view camera and spectrometer covering visible and near-infrared wavelengths using novel starlight-suppression technology.
Roman objectives include a search for extra-solar planets using gravitational microlensing, and probing the expansion history of the Universe and the growth of cosmic structure, with the goal of measuring the effects of dark energy, the consistency of general relativity, and the curvature of spacetime.
There are larger and more powerful telescopes that will be sent after James Webb.
The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory, HabEx, one of four large strategic mission concepts being reviewed by the Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020 Decadal Survey, has been designed to discover and characterize habitable exoplanets and to be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, performing observations in ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared spectra.
Origins Space Telescope (Origins) is a concept study for a far-infrared survey space telescope mission. In 2016, NASA began considering four different space telescopes for Large strategic science missions; they are the Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx), Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR), Origins Space Telescope (Origins), and Lynx X-ray Observatory. In 2019, the four teams turned in their final reports to the National Academy of Sciences, whose independent Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey report advises NASA on which mission should take top priority. If funded, Origins would launch in approximately 2035.
The Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor, commonly known as LUVOIR is a multi-wavelength space telescope concept being developed by NASA under the leadership of a Science and Technology Definition Team.
The LUVOIR Study Team has produced designs for two variants of LUVOIR: one with a 15.1 m diameter telescope mirror (LUVOIR-A) and one with an 8 m diameter mirror (LUVOIR-B). LUVOIR would be able to observe ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths of light. The Final Report on the 5-year LUVOIR mission concept study was publicly released on 26 August 2019. LUVOIR has a 2039 proposed launch date.
LUVOIR-A, previously known as the High Definition Space Telescope (HDST), would be composed of 36 mirror segments with an aperture of 15.1 metres (50 ft) in diameter, offering images up to 24 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope. LUVOIR-A would be large enough to find and study the dozens of Earthlike planets in our nearby neighborhood. It could resolve objects such as the nucleus of a small galaxy or a gas cloud on the way to collapsing into a star and planets.
Mass Produce Small 1 Meter Mirror Space Telescopes and Send to the Gravitational Lens Area
Solar Gravity Lens Telescope Concept Presentation By: Salva Turyshev (NASA JPL), Originally presented on September 30th, 2021.
SpaceX is mass-producing Starlink communication satellites for about $250,000 each. They have sent up 2400 and plan to deploy 40,000 communication satellites by about 2027.
If we mass-produce small telescopes and swing them around a close pass to the sun then they could reach Gravational lens areas around our sun. Gravitional lens use the gravity of the sun to bend light like a 800,000 mile across telescope. Small telescopes will become a billion times more powerful. We will be able to take million pixel images of exoplanets in other solar systems.
One meter space telescopes at the gravitational lens areas would be like having the power of 90-kilometer-wide telescopes here on Earth.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
