The problem is that resolution depends on the telescope itself, meaning that a dramatic increase in resolution usually requires a much larger telescope; But no matter how big your telescope gets, it will still have limited resolution.
When light from an infinitesimal point, such as distant stars, passes through a telescope, the light is slightly scattered within the telescope’s optical instruments (mirrors or lenses). This fundamental property is called light diffraction and is unavoidable. The resolution of telescope images depends partly on the size of its mirror or lens. The larger the telescope’s light-gathering instrument, the higher its image resolution.
The way light propagates in optical equipment depends on wavelength, with shorter wavelengths producing higher resolution. So two nearby blue stars may be distinguishable in a telescope, while two red stars at the same distance may not be distinguishable.
When deciding on the size of a telescope’s camera pixels, astronomers must consider the wavelength they want to observe. Otherwise, they just magnify the noise; Like the previous example about zooming too much on the photo.
All these lead to an amazing result. The Hubble Space Telescope has a mirror with a diameter of 2.4 meters and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has a mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters. Therefore, the resolution of the James Webb telescope images can be expected to be much higher. At some wavelengths it is: the shortest wavelength that the James Webb Space Telescope can see is about 0.6 microns (what our eyes perceive as orange light), and the resolution is technically much better than that of the Hubble image.
But the James Webb Space Telescope is designed as an infrared telescope. At those wavelengths, say around two microns, the resolution is comparable to what Hubble can see at visible light wavelengths. In the mid-infrared, i.e. wavelengths of 10 to 20 microns, the resolution of the James Webb Space Telescope images is even lower. However, because the James Webb is the largest infrared telescope ever sent into space, it can provide the sharpest images we’ve ever had at these wavelengths.
