Why the Webb Telescope Lives at a Lagrange Point

课文

1. The James Webb Space Telescope orbits not around Earth, but near the Sun-Earth L2 point — one of five stable gravitational zones.

   詹姆斯·韦布空间望远镜并非绕地球运行，而是环绕日地系统L2拉格朗日点运行——这是五个稳定引力区域之一。

2. At L2, the telescope stays in constant alignment with Earth and the Sun, allowing its sunshield to block heat and light from both bodies.

   在L2点，望远镜始终与地球和太阳保持固定对齐，使其遮阳板能同时屏蔽二者辐射的热量与光线。

3. This position keeps its infrared sensors extremely cold, which is essential for detecting faint heat signals from distant galaxies.

   这一位置使它的红外探测器保持极低温，从而精准捕捉遥远星系发出的微弱热信号。

4. Unlike Hubble, which circles Earth every 95 minutes, Webb’s L2 orbit minimizes fuel use and avoids frequent eclipses.

   与每95分钟绕地球一圈的哈勃望远镜不同，韦布在L2的轨道大幅减少燃料消耗，并避开频繁的日食遮挡。

5. Gravitational forces at L2 balance perfectly, so only tiny thruster adjustments are needed to maintain position over years.

   L2点的引力恰好平衡，因此仅需微小的推进器调整，即可长期维持位置。

6. Engineers chose L2 because it offers an unobstructed, thermally stable view of deep space — critical for observing cosmic origins.

   工程师选择L2，因其提供无遮挡、热稳定的深空视野，对观测宇宙起源至关重要。

7. Although L2 is 1.5 million kilometers away, communication remains reliable via NASA’s Deep Space Network antennas.

   尽管L2距地球150万公里，但通过NASA深空网络天线，通信依然可靠。

8. No human maintenance is possible there, so Webb was designed for full autonomy and redundancy before launch.

   该位置无法实施人工维护，因此韦布在发射前即被设计为完全自主、多重冗余。