Launched on 25th December, 2021, James Webb Space Telescope has been much in the news since then. What are its unique features which make it superior to its predecessor Space Telescopes ? What are the key goals of this mission ? What potential benefits does it hold for the human race?

James Webb Telescope: The telescope is the result of an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency.

1. It can see backwards in time to just after the Big Bang by looking for galaxies that are so far away that the light has taken many billions of years to get from those galaxies to our telescopes. 
2. It's the successor to Hubble Telescope.

Unique Features of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST):

• Wavelength: Hubble telescope use Ultraviolet rays of wavelength, whereas James Webb use Infrared rays. 
• Orbit: Hubble telescope orbits around the Earth, whereas James Webb orbits around the Lagrange point(L2). 
• The JWST is capable of detecting the heat of a bumblebee as far away as the moon. 
• The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to be about 100 times more sensitive than the Hubble telescope which has the capability to transform scientific understanding of the universe.

Key Goals of the JWST:

1. To search for the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. 
2. To determine how galaxies evolved from their earlier formation until now. 
3. To observe the formation of stars from the first stages to the formation of planetary systems. 
4. To measure the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems and investigate the potential for life in such systems.

Potential Benefits:

• Study black holes from a different angle, particularly, the cooler gases and stars dancing around their invisible neighbour. 
• Predicting Solar flares, sun spots that have impact on the communication system. 
• Searching more earth-like planets in the Goldilocks zone to understand the origin of life. 
• Understanding the evolution of galaxies as well as earth which in turn helps to predict the future of life on earth. 
• Understanding the primitive changes in the atmosphere to know the impact of global warming and climatebchange.

Hence, James Webb telescope’s capabilities will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology. Webb’s infrared telescope will explore a wide range of science questions to help us understand the origins of the universe and our place in it.