>>14029822>Even the Hubble, which is ancient technology, would be able to have better infrared capabilities Wrong. Hubble's infrared coverage stops at the H band (1.6 microns). It doesn't even go to K, which ground based telescopes like ELT can do easily (2-2.4 microns). The deepest K band imaging of the Ultra Deep field is ground based data. ELT will also go beyond K into the mid infrared with METIS.
Hubble is limited because it's a small telescope and because it is not infrared optimised like ELT, it has a high emissivity. Background isn't everything, and background is still relative to the collecting area and resolution.
