Finally, a potential successor to the famed Hubble Space Telescope has been revealed. After years of research, NASA has formally launched its plans of beginning a mission to create a new telescope that will help unveil more secrets about the universe.
Dubbed Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), this new telescope's view is said to be 100 times bigger than Hubble's. Despite this, experts can't still help but compare the two, signaling that WFIRST is indeed the heir of Hubble.
"WFIRST has the potential to open our eyes to the wonders of the universe, much the same way Hubble has," says NASA's Science Mission Directorate John Grunsfeld.
Building a new device means aiming to create a better one. Scientists aim to topple previous technologies in the hopes of discovering more and improving what's already available.
Here we compare WFIRST with Hubble and present how the former can be far greater than the latter.
Dark Matter Study
Dark matter is accountable for about five-sixths of the universe's entire matter composition, experts hypothesize. However, astronomers have not been able to directly observe this proposition.
The only thing that makes astronomers continuously believe in dark matter is its gravitational effects. Such forces are able to bend light that travels near and twitch on galaxies.
Dark energy holds the same elusive position as dark matter. Scientists believe that dark energy is an unknown entity that may explain the rapid expansion of the universe, but again, this has not been directly observed.
Hubble, which was first launched in 1990, was able to contribute bits of information about dark matter and dark energy. This time around, however, it is WFIRST to take a shot.
The US National Research Council's Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey included WFIRST and more in-depth study of dark matter and dark energy in the list of top priority projects for the coming decade. Such proposition was made due to the telescope's ability to understand the components of the universe and expose formerly undetected planets traveling around distant stars.
NASA says WFIRST will help scientists unveil the secrets of dark matter and dark energy and learn more about the cosmic evolution. The telescope may also uncover new worlds outside the solar system and worlds that can support life.
Wider Scope Of Study
The scope of study with Hubble and WFIRST is another great distinguishing feature between the two. While the depth and quality of WFIRST images will be much like that of Hubble's, the distance of coverage will be a hundred times wider.
WFIRST may also provide precise measurements and information about the shapes, positions and distances of galaxies that are millions of miles away from the Earth. The telescope may also monitor the distribution and growth of cosmic objects such as galaxy clusters and the dark matter that comes with it.
"This mission will survey the universe to find the most interesting objects out there," says WFIRST project scientist Neil Gehrels.
WFIRST is expected to be launched in the mid-2020s. Operations will begin following the travel to Earth-sun L2, which is a gravitational balance point located 1 million miles from the Earth and opposite the sun's direction.
