By Ashley Strickand, CNN
(CNN)The James Webb Space Telescope has reached its final destination, almost a month after launch.
Since lifting off from French Guiana [1] on December 25, the telescope has unfurled its tennis court-size sunshield [2] and unfolded a massive gold mirror that will help it study the universe in new ways and peer inside the atmosphere of exoplanets [3].
The telescope’s point of observation is nearly a million miles away from Earth and beyond the moon itself. The space observatory experienced its final burn on Monday to enter this orbit called L2.
“Webb, welcome home!” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement. “Congratulations to the team for all of their hard work ensuring Webb’s safe arrival at L2 today. We’re one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe. And I can’t wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer!”
Although it doesn’t sound like it would take almost a month for the telescope to reach orbit, Webb is unique.
“Think about throwing a ball straight up in the air, as hard as you can; it starts out very fast, but slows down as gravity pulls it back towards Earth, eventually stopping at its peak and then returning to the ground,” said Karen Richon, Webb Flight Dynamics lead engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in a statement. (Read More) [4]