James Webb Space Telescope vs Hubble - the differences explained

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Don’t ask astronomers to choose between the Hubble Space Telescope and the new kid on the cosmic block, the James Webb Space Telescope. “Comparing Hubble and Webb is like asking if you will love your second child as much as your first,” said Susan Mullally, Webb’s deputy project scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore “Hubble will always be loved for its awe-inspiring images of our universe and will continue to collect important data for astronomers. Its liftoff is slated for Saturday morning from the coast of South America The lowdown on Hubble versus Webb: ROCKET RIDES Hubble caught a lift to orbit tucked inside NASA’s space shuttle Discovery in 1990. LET THERE BE LIGHT Webb is expected to behold light from the universe’s first stars and galaxies, beyond Hubble’s range.