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Hubble-Webb Mirror Comparison

Graphic of the Hubble Space Telescope’s primary mirror next to the James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror. A figure of an average person appears next to Hubble’s primary mirror, which dwarfs the person by about two feet.

Webb’s primary mirror is 6.6 meters (21.7 feet) across, with a total collecting area of more than 25 square meters (270 square feet). By comparison, Hubble’s mirror is 2.4 meters (7.8 feet) in diameter, with a collecting area of a little more than 4.5 square meters (nearly 50 square feet). Mirror size is important because it determines how much light the telescope can collect over a given period of time. A larger mirror can collect light more quickly, and thus detect dimmer or more distant objects (i.e., it has higher sensitivity) and provide clearer, more detailed images and spectra (higher resolution) than a smaller mirror of the same construction.

  • Release Date
    July 28, 2016
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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