Astronomers working with the James Webb Space Telescope are praising the work and scientific potential of the recently launched observatory following the public release of test images.
In an image showing part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy in the Milky Way more than 150,000 light-years away, the stars appear as clear dots compared to the blurry spots previously visible with the help of Web’s predecessor, the Space Spitzer Telescope.
At a press briefing Monday, telescope scientists said the dramatic improvement in image quality was a sign that Webb’s 18 gold-plated mirror segments were working as designed to provide the sharpest views of the universe at infrared. on the wave.
“This is an extraordinary milestone for humanity,” said Michael McAlwayne, a scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Observatory Project in Greenbelt, MD, who added that the Web was about to discover “the first glowing objects in the universe.” fulfills a number of other scientific goals.
The telescope was built by NASA in partnership with the Canadian and European Space Agencies. After launching in December last year, he spent a month traveling to his working position about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Since then, astronomers have been busy aligning the components of the telescope and checking its various instruments. A key part of the process involved using the Canadian sensor to steer the telescope to precisely lock its mirrors to distant targets in space.
While initial results suggest that the telescope is performing even better than expected, such a positive assessment is never a preconceived conclusion. During the commissioning phase, a disabling defect was discovered in the main mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990. The defect prevented the telescope from working until astronauts could install corrective optics three years later.
Webb is too far from Earth for a rescue mission, so astronomers planning to work with the telescope say they are relieved and excited to see that the $ 10 billion telescope is working as intended so far.
During a news briefing, the scientists said the next step would be the release of the telescope’s first scientific images, expected in July. Although they would not reveal where they would direct the telescope to what would likely be an iconic set of images, they said it would include targets that demonstrate that Webb can fulfill the science for which it was created.
Unlike Hubble, Webb sees exclusively in the infrared part of the spectrum, which is very suitable for observing the most distant galaxies in the universe and closer targets, including planets in orbit around other stars.
Klaus Pontopidan, a Webb scientist at the Baltimore Space Telescope Research Institute, said that while the human eye is not sensitive to infrared light, astronomers can use Webb’s many filters to translate images into full-color images that have similar aesthetic qualities. compared to those obtained with the help of Hubble.
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