Why can't JWST see visible light?

Опубликовано: 04 Март 2026
на канале: Thomas Rintoul
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The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, is often referred to as a replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope - but it really isn't. Find out why!

This video looks to answer a question I've had for years - why can't we put visible light detectors on infrared telescopes? What about their optics makes that impossible? I go through the problem, find the solution, then have a bit of fun with a "what if?"

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Gear Used:
Camera: Canon EOS 70D
Lenses: Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 G2
Microphone: Rode NTG2
Images and video from the public domain or from creative commons sources.
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Chapters
0:00 - Intro
1:37 - Explaining JWST
2:44 - Why the IR focus?
3:26 - The Mirror
4:32 - What if?
6:20 - Conclusion
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Hi, I'm Thomas, a first year PhD student at Cardiff University. This is my channel where I share my experiences of academia and pieces of Physics and Astronomy I find interesting.
If you enjoy videos from Simon Clark, Dr Becky or Ruby Granger, I think you'll enjoy my videos!