James Webb Space Telescope primarily detects what type of electromagnetic waves?

James Webb Space Telescope primarily detects what type of electromagnetic waves?

• A. Ultraviolet radiation
• B. Infrared radiation
• C. Visible light
• D. X-rays

Answer: (B)

Infrared radiation is what the James Webb Space Telescope is built to detect. Its instruments are tuned to near- and mid-infrared wavelengths, which lets Webb see objects that are very cool or hidden behind dust, such as newborn stars, dusty star-forming regions, and distant galaxies whose visible light has been stretched into the infrared by the expansion of the universe. Operating in infrared is possible in space because the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs a lot of infrared light and adds noise. Webb is placed at the cold, distant L2 point and equipped with a large, cryogenically cooled mirror to minimize its own heat, so infrared signals from the cosmos stand out more clearly. Ultraviolet and visible light get blocked or scattered by dust and the atmosphere, making them harder to study in many of these distant or obscured contexts. X-rays require very different optics and detectors, so they’re not the primary focus of this telescope.

Infrared radiation is what the James Webb Space Telescope is built to detect. Its instruments are tuned to near- and mid-infrared wavelengths, which lets Webb see objects that are very cool or hidden behind dust, such as newborn stars, dusty star-forming regions, and distant galaxies whose visible light has been stretched into the infrared by the expansion of the universe.

Operating in infrared is possible in space because the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs a lot of infrared light and adds noise. Webb is placed at the cold, distant L2 point and equipped with a large, cryogenically cooled mirror to minimize its own heat, so infrared signals from the cosmos stand out more clearly.

Ultraviolet and visible light get blocked or scattered by dust and the atmosphere, making them harder to study in many of these distant or obscured contexts. X-rays require very different optics and detectors, so they’re not the primary focus of this telescope.