The star HD 84406 can be found nearby behind the star figure known as the Big Dipper, which is part of the Big Dipper. It is not very clear and you need at least a stronger binoculars to see it. It is approximately 241 light-years from Earth. A light year is a unit of distance used in astronomy. It is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one Earth year.
While the star does not shine brightly for observers on Earth, it is too bright for a space telescope to study after focusing on it. “But for now, it’s the perfect target to begin our search for photons, a search that will take us into outer space, ”explain JWST-linked scientists Jonathan Gardner and Alexandra Lockwood in a post published on NASA’s blog.
According to astronomy.stackexchange.com, one of the criteria for selecting the first target was the ability to track it for a long time. Due to the need to shield from the Sun and the Earth, the Webb Telescope can only observe a 39-degree section of space, taking three months to optically tune. This means that the selected star must just enter the field of view of the space observatory.
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In addition, it was necessary to choose a place without a large cluster of stars. And HD 84406 is located in a relatively isolated area of Ursa Major. The condition was also that the target was not too bright, which would negatively affect the operation of the telescope, whose device is designed to perceive the infrared light that comes to us in this form from the most distant objects.
Webb’s telescope looks into the depths of time
JWST is a project of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with a wider international participation, including the Czech Republic. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian CSA are also involved.
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The telescope was launched into space on December 25 by the Ariane 5 rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. It is the most powerful space telescope to date. It should oversee the beginnings of the existence of our universe, when the first stars and galaxies formed 13.5 billion years ago. According to NASA, it will directly observe a hitherto unseen part of space and time. The Webb Observatory should allow scientists to study the history of the cosmos in the deepest depths of time and space, as well as search for signs of possible life outside the solar system.
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