NASA’S NEW TELESCOPE’S TEST IMAGE OF STAR GETS PHOTOBOMBED BY 1,000S OF GALAXIES

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captures test image of star and ancient galaxies Photograph:( Twitter )

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Thu 17 March 2022:

According to NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope’s mirror alignment was flawless, and it was allowed to take a test shot of the surroundings. The image, which was shared by NASA, was captured using a 21.3-foot-wide (6.5-meter) mirror made up of 18 hexagonal pieces, and experts believe the technology performed “better than expected.”

The test shot, which was made roughly 1.6 million kilometers from Earth, proved that the telescope’s mirrors were in perfect working order, and it was the first time it was able to take a test shot of star HD 84406 over a month after taking its position at the second Lagrange Point (L2).

“You can’t help but see those thousands of galaxies behind it, really gorgeous,” said Jane Rigby, Webb operations project scientist. Those galaxies are several billions of years old. Eventually, scientists hope Webb will see so faraway and back in time that it will only be “a couple hundred million years after the Big Bang,” she said.

“Those galaxies are several billions of years old. Eventually, scientists hope Webb will see so far away and back in time that it will only be “a couple hundred million years after the Big Bang,” she added.

The alignment of the mirrors was an important achievement for the James Webb Space Telescope and NASA confirmed that no critical issues were found when it comes to its optical path.

“More than 20 years ago, the Webb team set out to build the most powerful telescope that anyone has ever put in space and came up with an audacious optical design to meet demanding science goals. Today we can say that design is going to deliver,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate according to AFP.

“We have fully aligned and focused the telescope on a star, and the performance is beating specifications. We are excited about what this means for science,” said Ritva Keski-Kuha, deputy optical telescope element manager for Webb.

The first scientific photos will not be available until late June or early July. The $10 billion Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the almost 32-year-old Hubble Space Telescope, launched from South America in December and arrived at its destination in January.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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