In January 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope (望远镜) discovered a new planet which goes around a star outside our solar system. The JWST was sent into space in December 2021. The telescope is expected to teach scientists much about how stars, galaxies and systems of planets develop, and bring new information about the early history of the universe.
Studying far-away stars is a way of studying history. Light travels fast, but it still takes time to cover long distances. This means in fact the light we see from far-away stars left those stars long, long ago. Scientists believe the JWST will help them see light from as far back as 13. 6 billion years ago - not long after the universe began.
Scientists had been working on the project for nearly 30 years. The new telescope is expected to be about 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, which, up until now, has been the best tool scientists have for studying far-away stars. And the JWST can also tell where much weaker light comes from.
Light travels in waves. Different wavelengths show up as different colors of light. There are far more colors than the human eye can see. To collect them, the JWST will use a group of infrared light (红外线)， which humans can't see. By studying infrared light, the JWST will even be able to study the atmospheres(大气层) of planets outside our solar system.
The JWST began its real work in June 2022. There is still a long way to go, but scientists believe the telescope will help them better understand the history of the universe, and how important parts of it developed.
