James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) (Science & Technology)Why In News:The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured weather patterns on an exoplanet located 700 light-years from Earth — a historic first that demonstrates JWST's unparalleled ability to characterise the atmospheres of distant worlds.About the James Webb Space TelescopeJWST is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. Launched on 25 December 2021 by an Ariane 5 rocket. It is a collaboration between NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).It operates primarily in the infrared spectrum (unlike Hubble which primarily uses visible/UV light), allowing it to see through dust clouds and observe the early universe.It orbits the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2).About ExoplanetsExoplanets are planets orbiting stars other than our Sun. JWST's breakthrough is using transmission spectroscopy to analyse starlight filtered through a planet's atmosphere during transit, revealing its chemical composition (water, CO₂, methane, ozone).Key Facts for PrelimsISRO's role:India's ISRO has not contributed to JWST but has future plans for its own space telescope (Daksha for X-ray observations, Aditya-L1 for solar observations at L1 point).Aditya-L1: India's first solar mission. Launched Sept 2023. Located at L1 Lagrange point (between Earth and Sun, ~1.5 million km from Earth). Studies solar corona, CMEs.The Goldilocks Zone (Habitable Zone):Region around a star where conditions may allow liquid water on a planet's surface — key criterion for potential habitability.