Which one of the following statements is true for James Webb Space Telescope launched in December 2021? (a) It orbits the Sun, about 15 lakh km away from the Earth. (b) It orbits the Earth, about 15 lakh km away. (c) It is stationary in space nearly 10 lakh km away from the Earth. (d) It revolves around the Moon nearly 3-5 lakh km away from the Earth.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched on December 25, 2021, is positioned in a unique orbit around the Sun rather than the Earth [3]. It is specifically located at the second Lagrange point (L2), which is situated approximately 1.5 million kilometers (or 15 lakh km) away from the Earth in the anti-Sun direction [2]. Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which orbits the Earth, JWST follows a halo orbit around L2, allowing it to stay in line with the Earth as it moves around the Sun. This distance is roughly four times further from the Earth than the Moon's average distance. This specific orbital placement ensures the telescope remains stable and protected from the heat radiation of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, which is critical for its infrared observations.

Sources

1. [3] https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13553/
2. [1] https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/orbit/
3. [2] https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/webbs-orbit-at-sun-earth-lagrange-point-2-l2/