NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has completed another important step in aligning mirrors and has released the highest infrared image ever taken from space.
Less than two months ago, the James Webb Space Telescope took its first images in space. The image is taken of the star HD84406 in the constellation Ursa Major and features 18 Webb mirror segments, which have not been aligned to create one clear image. Scientists working at Webb have spent the last two months making small adjustments to the mirror alignment to produce a single unified image from the telescope’s NIRCam or main imaging instrument.
On March 11, NASA announced the completion of the “micro-staging” phase of the alignment – the second of seven increasingly microscopic stages. This critical stage is very close to the final stage of alignment, but minor adjustments still need to be made. Earth controllers have been working for months to align the sections within a few nanometers – millionths of a meter – from one another. It may be late summer 2022 before all of Webb’s hardware is fully calibrated and ready to go.
Kredit: NASA/STScI
However, after careful staging, new images from outer space were captured and published. Although the Webb alignment will require additional adjustments in the near future, NASA claims that this image of the star 2MASS J17554042+6551277, with Webb’s mirror clip in near-perfect alignment, is the tallest image ever taken in space.
NASA has released a statement explaining how JWST is performing better than expected. “Every optical parameter checked and tested performed at or above expectations. The team also found no critical problems, no pollution, or measurable obstructions in Webb’s optical path. The observatory was able to collect light from distant objects and transmit it to its instruments without issue.”
Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, stated, “More than 20 years ago, the Webb team began building the most powerful telescopes ever to exist in space and creating bold optical designs to fulfill scientific goals. Today we can say that design will achieve success”.
It will be months before Webb can provide an actionable, calibrated image of the universe, but scientists and project enthusiasts alike are already optimistic and excited to see what Webb finds.
According to NASA, the next six weeks will be spent on commissioning, calibration, and testing of complex scientific instruments, including near-infrared spectrometers, mid-infrared instruments, near-infrared imaging and non-slit spectrometers. At this point in the process, an algorithm evaluates the performance of each instrument and then calculates the final correction needed to achieve a well-coordinated telescope across all scientific instruments.
NASA claims Webb’s team is on track to complete all aspects of the telescope’s optical element alignment by early May, if not sooner, before moving on to nearly two months of scientific instrument preparation. If all goes to plan, the first full-resolution web images and scientific data will be released early this summer.
“Webb is the world’s premier space science observatory and, once fully operational, will help solve the mysteries of our solar system, see beyond the distant worlds around other stars, and explore the mysterious structure and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA and its partners at the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency.” (NASA)
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