O James Webb Space Telescope It has completed the first major step in its long process of aligning the 18-segment central observatory.
One Star The ones seen by the observatory were intentionally converted 18 times into a hexagon. In the end, these 18 images will be perfectly aligned in sharp focus, but the interim result shows a star that repeats itself perfectly in a stunning celestial hexagonal pattern resembling a snowflake.
“The resulting image shows that the team moved each of Webb’s 18 primary mirror segments to bring up 18 blurred copies of a single star in a striped hexagonal formation,” NASA officials wrote in a message. blog post Friday (February 18th).
Live updates: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Mission
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The images of the stars are oriented in this specific pattern “so that they have the same relative positions as physical mirrors,” said Matthew Lallo, systems scientist and director of the Telescope Division at the Space Telescope Science Institute, who directs Webb, in the statement.
Then the observatory will begin what engineers call “section alignment,” which will correct any major positioning errors in individual parts of the primary mirror and align the secondary mirror.
Once the clip is successfully aligned, the team will begin the third step – “image stacking” – which will eventually bring 18 images on top of each other in a clear view.
Lalo said the three-step procedure would allow the team to experience an “intuitive and natural way of visualizing changes” throughout the process. Another benefit, he added, is that “we can now see the primary mirror slowly form into its exact, intended shape.”
Aligning the mirrors correctly is one of the main goals of Webb’s mission, which is due to end in the summer. The mission began on December 25, 2021, with an ambitious mission to observe the early universe, exoplanets and other important points in the universe.
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