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Actually LUVOIR will most likely have smaller 6 meter mirror to reduce cost and use lessons from JWST construction. It will be simpler design than JWST as it wi
by terramex 5y ago
Actually LUVOIR will most likely have smaller 6 meter mirror to reduce cost and use lessons from JWST construction. It will be simpler design than JWST as it will use only 2 or 3 layer sunshield and no cryocooler (creating equipment that can work at 5 Kelvin was massive issue for JWST). Its main science goal will be examining atmospheres of exoplanets, plus general observations like Hubble.
It will observe in UV/visible/near-IR so its resolution will be higher than JWST's as shorter wavelengths are easier to focus (diffraction limit is a function of wavelength) but it will not be able to see objects at the very end of observable universe as it cannot image in mid-IR or longer wavelengths. There is still plenty of interesting stuff closer to us and it will be "true" successor to Hubble.