<figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/22726/mirror.gif" title="mirror.gif" loading="lazy" data-id="22726"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption"></p></figcaption></figure><p> Golden and gleaming, this convex mirror <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/multimedia/secondary-mirror-unpack.html" title="">arrived last week at the Goddard Space Flight Center</a></p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div><p> in Greenbelt, Md., where it will be mounted on the much-anticipated <a href="https://discover.ac.cn/photos/15-how-to-build-a-telescope-even-more-powerful-than-hubble/?searchterm=webb" title="">Webb telescope</a></p><p>. When the telescope is up and running, sometime later this decade, <a href="https://discover.ac.cn/2011/jul-aug/27-hi-tech-eye-exam-jaw-dropping-accuracy-webb-telescope/?searchterm=webb" title="">the Webb</a></p><div data-embedid="4b651d8f-ea11-445f-9ea7-e776ca36eef3" id="insticator-embed-temp"></div><p> will take the title of the most powerful space telescope ever built, ousting even the Hubble. The Boulder-built mirror's color comes from a microscopic layer of gold, 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. The gold will help the telescope better reflect infrared light, making distant planets and the universe's first galaxies easier to see. <em>Image Credit: Chris Gunn, NASA</em></p>

The Webb telescope will soon be the most powerful space telescope, enhancing our view of the universe's earliest galaxies.

The Sciences

Look at This: A Touch of Gold for the World's Most Powerful Telescope

Article

News

Breanna Draxler

Science

Golden and gleaming, this convex mirror arrived last week at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., where it will be mounted on the much-anticipated Webb telescope . When the telescope is up and running, sometime later this decade, the Webb will take the title of the most powerful space telescope ever built, ousting even the Hubble. The Boulder-built mirror's color comes from a microscopic layer of gold, 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. The gold will help the telescope better reflect infrared light, making distant planets and the universe's first galaxies easier to see. Image Credit: Chris Gunn, NASA

Discover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.

看看这个：世界上最强大的望远镜的一点金子

新闻简报

Breanna Draxler

J.J.汤姆孙发现了电子——并无意中为科学注入了永久的活力

距离地球最近的黑洞是盖亚BH1，仅1600光年之遥

两次黑洞合并发出引力波，印证爱因斯坦的相对论

银河系中有多少颗太阳？这很复杂

2025年10月天龙座流星雨和猎户座流星雨点亮夜空——观赏指南

银河系中有多少颗恒星？超出你的想象

量子纠缠可改善通信网络

宇宙中最大的物体是什么？最有可能的是星系团

这些矮星系通过一条数万光年长的星系际桥连接在一起

通过将器官变成玻璃，器官移植或将实现突破

本周末捕捉迷你天体游行，土星及其光环将全面展示

亚里士多德发现世界是圆的——最早的重要科学理论之一

月亮每年都在离地球越来越远，潮汐是原因

天王星的29颗卫星都侧着倾斜轨道运行，并具有神秘特征

小行星龙宫曾富含水，为地球的宜居性提供了线索

保持好奇

加入我们的列表

订阅杂志