#jameswebbspacetelescope

#jameswebbspacetelescope

The First Images Captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Include a "Primary Mirror Selfie"This is HD84406. It is one of the many stars that you will see in the constellation Ursa Major. Scientists chose to photograph this star because it is not around other stars with the same brightness. Now you might wonder where the star is in this picture. The answer is: it's all of the bright spots in the photo. Why is that the case? That's because the telescope that took this photo, the James Webb Space Telescope, has 18 primary mirror segments. And this is where the challenging part comes in: the team behind the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument (the tool used by the telescope) will have to adjust the mirror segments until the images become one bright star. This photo of the HD84406 has been helpful in the process. The team has successfully identified which bright spot corresponds with which mirror.Aside from the image, the team also took a selfie of the telescope's primary mirror. The selfie was made possible by the specialized imaging lens inside the NIRCam instrument. The lens will also help the team confirm if the alignment is good.(Images: NASA)#JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #NASA #Space

What to Expect from the World's Largest Space TelescopeThe James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch on December 18, 2021. It was designed as a replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope. Although this new telescope is eleven years late and cost ten times as much as projected, it will be well worth it for astronomers and other scientists. The images we've seen from Hubble are simply amazing, and grew our knowledge of the cosmos exponentially. Yet astronomers have significantly greater hopes for Webb. Here's why:Hubble's reflecting mirror is 7.8 feet across. The Webb mirror is 21.3 feet across, which will give it six times the area, and the corresponding ability to collect light. Hubble collects light in the visible spectrum, plus has a limited ability to collect infrared light. Webb is primarily an infrared collector, which will allow it to see across vast galaxies, and collect light going further back in time -billions of years. Infrared light will also enable Webb to see exoplanets with the interference of the stars they are orbiting.While Hubble orbits earth at a distance of 340 miles, Webb will be deployed at a million miles away. An article at Vox expands on the advantages of the James Webb Space Telescope, and gives us a glimpse at some of the things scientists expect to see in the coming years.  -via Kottke (Image credit: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope) #telescope #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #space #spaceexploration

LEGO Idea: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) AKA Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST)This James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) LEGO idea from 2017 is worth checking out. It was selected as a staff pick and reached 2,590 supporters.