A new image from Weber, another milestone
On March 16, 2022, NASA released another new photo of the Webb Space Telescope, a huge space telescope launched on Christmas Day and currently located in the L-2 region of the Solar-Earth system. The telescope is currently in the test phase. Expect to see the telescope's first scientific photograph in the summer of 2022, which will prepare for other future scenarios. As NASA states: "The purpose of this photograph is to focus on bright stars in the center of the solar system and pass the consistency assessment." The webb telescope's optical instruments and near-infrared cameras are so sensitive that galaxies and stars in the background are shown in the photo. Image credit: NASA.
New images from the Webb telescope
NASA announced on March 16, 2022, that the Weber telescope had reached a new critical milestone. The lens calibration section has now been completed, and then NASA published:
The optical performance of the Weber telescope will meet or exceed the scientific goals that the observatory expects to achieve.
With that in mind, NASA today released a photo showing a bright star with beautiful diffraction spikes against the backdrop of numerous background galaxies to celebrate. Weber remained unable to prepare for the science to function for months. But scientists say they're excited about the performance so far and excited about what the future will be able to explore when it's expected.
Another milestone achieved
At present, the Webb telescope has completed the fine phase calibration phase. More specifically, this means that Weber's main imager, the near-infrared camera (NIRCAM), has been completely opposed to its mirror.
NASA Goddard's Ritvapi Keshi-Kuha said:
We've perfectly aligned and focused our telescopes on a star that's performing beyond specifications, and we're excited to understand what it means for science.
Now, the team still needs to align other instruments on the telescope, and they expect to complete all the optical calibrations by early May.
Next, they will carry out scientific instrument preparations. This summer, you will receive full-resolution images.
More about the new photos
End: On March 16, 2022, NASA released a new photo of the most powerful infrared space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope. The photo shows the diffraction of light spots and galaxies in the background.
Related knowledge
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed primarily for infrared astronomy. Developed by NASA in conjunction with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), JWST was launched from Kourou, French Guiana, on December 25, 2021 by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane 5 rocket, with the aim of succeeding the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's successor in astrophysics. The telescope is named after James Webb, who served as NASA's director during the Mercury, Gemini, and most of the Apollo programs from 1961 to 1968.
The James Webb Space Telescope, with its infrared resolution and sensitivity, was able to see objects that Hubble could not see — the older and more distant objects — some of which were even dimmed 100 times. The Weber telescope is expected to help take astronomical and cosmological observations to the next level, such as observations of novae and galaxies when they first formed, and observations of potentially habitable exoplanets full of space characteristics.
The main mirror of the James Webb telescope, the optical telescope original, consists of 18 gold-plated beryllium hexagonal lenses, which combine to form a 6.5 m (21 ft) diameter lens, while the Hubble telescope is 2.4 m (7.9 ft) in diameter. This gives Weber about 6.25 times the light collection area of Hubble: Webb has a light collection area of 25.37 square meters, while Hubble has a light collection area of 4.0 square meters.
Unlike Hubble, which can measure near ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared (0.1–1.0 μm) spectra, Weber observed frequencies from long-wave visible light (red) to mid-infrared (0.6–28.3 μm). This telescope must maintain extremely low temperatures, below 50 K (223 °C); 370 °F) to observe the weak signal of infrared rays without interference from other heat sources. It is deployed at the L2 Lagrange point, about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth, and its 5-layer kite-like visor protects it from warming by the sun, earth and moon.
Development began in 1996 and was originally planned for launch in 2007 with a budget of $500 million. There have been many delays and cost overruns, including a major redesign in 2005, a torn sun visor during a hands-on deployment, recommendations from an independent review committee, and threats from the United States. Congress canceled the project, the COVID-19 pandemic, problems with the Aeiane 5 rocket and the telescope itself, communication failures between the telescope and the launch launch vehicle.
The media commented on the high-risk nature of launches and the complexity of telescopes, and got comments from scientists and engineers. Construction was completed at the end of 2016 and has been extensively tested for many years since. NASA's Goddard Space Center (GSFC) in Maryland is responsible for telescope development, and the Baltimore Space Telescope Institute operates JWST. The main contractor was Northrop Grumman.
The telescope was released from the upper part of the rocket 27 minutes after launch, which NASA called "flawless" and "perfect." As of January 24, 2022, the visors, rearview mirrors, and other parts have been fully deployed into the configuration of their operations, the spacecraft is in orbit at his destination, and all the instruments have been successfully powered on.
On February 3, 2022, NASA tweeted that the telescope had detected its first photon, and on February 11, 2022, NASA announced that the telescope had almost completed the first phase of alignment, with every part of its main mirror already located. The first phase of the alignment process for imaging and roughly centering the target star HD84406.7 was completed on February 18, 2022, and Phases 2 and 3 were completed a week later on February 25, 2022, meaning that 18 major sections are now assisting in the work, but still act as 18 smaller telescopes instead of one larger telescope.
The telescope will still take a few weeks to cool to the temperature at which it operates. The alignment and focus of the mirrors and the final testing and calibration will take a total of five months before the planned study begins, possibly including the first formal image. On March 16, 2022, the space telescope was reportedly "fully focused."
BY：Kelly Kizer Whitt
FY：Astronomical volunteer team
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