NASA test images target a star 2,000 light-years away.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON — The James Webb Space Telescope released new test photos on Wednesday (16/3/2022). The test photo was to see how its 18 hexagonal mirrors worked together for a coordinated image taken 1.6 million kilometers from Earth.
Reported from CBC, Thursday (17/3/2022), officials said the telescope produced better photos than expected. Last month, NASA spotted a much closer star with 18 separate images of its mirrored segment.
Scientists said they were dizzy when they watched the photos of the latest test arrive. Test image NASA aimed at a star 100 times fainter than the human eye can see at a distance of 2,000 light years away. One light year is nearly 9.7 trillion kilometers.
Webb’s mirror shape and filters make the glittering star look more red and pointed but the background really steals the show.
“You can’t help but see thousands of galaxies behind it, it’s beautiful,” said Jane Rigby, Webb’s operations project scientist.
“The galaxies are several billion years old. Eventually, scientists hope Webb will look so far into the past that it will be several hundred million years after the Big Bang,” he said.
The first science drawings are not expected to be published until late June or early July.
Webb, the nearly 32-year-old successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, launched from French Guiana. This telescope will look for early signs of life after the Big Bang.
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