James Webb Space Telescope

Hello guys, I am back again. It has been a long time since I last updated this blog as I was busy taking care of my infirm grandmother. Now that there’s some free time to spare, I thought it’s a good moment to post a new entry.

Finally got my hands on the James Webb Space Telescope stamps and covers offered by USPS!

The space telescope was named after James Edwin Webb, who served as a N.A.S.A. Administrator from 14/2/1961 to 7/10/1968. He oversaw key space development programs such as the Gemini and Mercury programs which ultimately led to the Apollo program that brought USA to the Moon.

The idea of building the JWST was conceived in 2002 as a replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope in the future. The new space telescope was to carry a 6.5m mirror made up of 18 smaller hexagonal mirrors. Its primary task was infrared astronomy but is able to see in the red visible light spectrum as well. 

The JWST had several launch delays due to technical issues and Covid-19 and because of that, had several cost overruns. It finally took off on 25/12/2021. From designing and testing phases to supporting primary operations for 5 years, the JWST cost about US$9.7 billion. It is estimated that JWST will still be in service for another 15 more years once its 5-year primary mission has ended.

Having a piece of astronomy history in my collection is certainly a delight. Here’s some product specifications:

Issue: James Webb Space Telescope Stamp
Denomination: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20
Issue Date: 8/9/2022
Designer: Derry Noyes
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Print Quantity: 30,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive 
Colours: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal 
Image Area (W x H): 36.068mm x 21.336mm
Overall Size (W x H): 39.624mm x 24.892mm
Full Pane Size (W x H): 190.5mm x 197.358mm

Information taken from USPS.



After several months of equipment deployment in space such as unfolding of the solar panels, sun shield, communications array and mirrors and testing to make sure every system works, JWST took its very first pictures in stunning detail and beamed them back to Earth.

The Carina Nebula 
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScl

Stephen’s Quintet
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScl

The Southern Ring Nebula (left picture taken by JWST, right picture taken by Hubble Space Telescope)
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScl

Jupiter
Image credit: NASA

“Pillars of Creation”, a region that is part of a much larger Eagle Nebula
Image credit: NASA

JWST certainly took more crisp images than the Hubble Space Telescope as it has a bigger mirror to collect more light and thus has a larger resolving power. It can peer further into space at dimmer objects and give us new insights of the Universe. This is a picture of a similar celestial objects that were taken by both telescopes.

Left picture by JWST, right picture by Hubble
Imagine credit: NASA

Left picture by Hubble, right picture by JWST
Imagine credit: NASA

Left picture by JWST, right picture by Hubble
Imagine credit: NASA

Left picture taken by Hubble, right picture taken by JWST
Imagine credit: NASA

That being said, I still love Hubble as it was the first space telescope that gave us spectacular images of the Universe and it was named after one of my favourite astronomers, Edwin Hubble.


For further reading: 

James Webb Space Telescope: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope

USPS issuing of the JWST stamps and covers: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2022/0908-usps-issues-james-webb-space-telescope-stamp.htm


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