Beyond Hubble.

The orbiting Hubble Space Telescope has given us huge amounts of information on the far reaches of our universe (SEE NOTE). Hundreds of thousands of images not possible from within the confines of earth's atmosphere have been taken in the nearly 20 years since the Hubble left earth and went into orbit. The story of Hubble is a long one, and you should do yourself a favor and visit its web site at: http://hubblesite.org/

But in about five years, a new space telescope will see further out in space (and, hence, further back in time) and add new discoveries to our already massive amounts of data (much of which will not be analyzed for years). From the official James Webb Space Telescope web site (http://webbtelescope.org/webb_telescope/):

The James Webb Space Telescope is NASA's next orbiting observatory and the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. A tennis court-sized telescope orbiting far beyond Earth's moon, Webb will detect infrared radiation and be capable of seeing in that wavelength as well as Hubble sees in visible light.

Infrared vision is vital to our understanding of the universe. The furthest objects we can detect are seen in infrared light, cooler objects that would otherwise be invisible emit infrared, and infrared light pierces clouds of dust, allowing us to see into their depths. Webb will unleash a torrent of new discoveries, opening the door to a part of the universe that has just begun to take shape under humanity's observations.

Right now, scientists and engineers are piecing Webb together, creating through cutting-edge technology an innovative observatory that not only withstands intense cold, but uses it to its advantage; an observatory that folds up inside a rocket for launch and unfurls like a butterfly opening its wings upon nearing its orbit.

In 2014, the Webb telescope will launch into space, sailing to the distant, isolated orbit where it will begin its quest. Supernovae and black holes, baby galaxies and planets' potential for supporting life — Webb will help reveal the answers to some of the biggest mysteries of astronomy.

This is a great age of discovery. Hubble narrowed the universe's estimated age from 10-20 billion years to about 13-14 billion years. Webb will narrow that down even more.

Check out those web sites when you get a chance. This is stuff that Newton wouldn't even have dared to dream.

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NOTE: I originally wrote "the universe," but there are some hypotheses out there that indicate ours may be one of many universes, just as our galaxy is one of many galaxies, or as our star is one of many stars, etc.