NASA releases image of new alignment stage for James Webb Telescope

The NASA It was announced this Wednesday (16) that the James Webb Telescope completed another major step in aligning the observatory’s primary mirror and released the final image of the process known as Accurate Calibration.

According to the US space agency, this stage was intended to focus only on the bright star in the center of the image above (called 2MASS J17554042 + 6551277) to assess the telescope’s alignment, But Webb’s equipment is so sensitive that other background galaxies and stars can also be observed.

With this precise calibration step completed, the scientists at NASA He successfully aligned Webb’s main imager, the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), with the observatory’s mirrors.

“We aligned the telescope and focused it entirely on a star, and the performance exceeds specs,” said Ritva Keski-Kuha, deputy director of Webb Optical Telescope Element at Webb Optical Telescope Element. NASA Goddard Center. “We now know we built the right telescope.”

In the next six weeks, James Webb’s team will complete the remaining steps in aligning the telescope and its instruments.

according to NASAAt this point in the process, an algorithm will evaluate the performance of each tool and then calculate the final corrections required. Then, the final Webb alignment step will begin and the team will fine-tune any small errors remaining in position in the matching segments.

A special lens inside the NIRCam also took a “selfie” of the Web mirror clips. According to NASA, the parts are bright because they collect light from the same star at the same time. – Photo: NASA/STScI

Full alignment is expected to be completed by early May. Or even before that The first high-resolution images of Webb were released in the American summer (between June and September).

Understand the importance of the James Webb Telescope

James Webb will allow astronomers to see things in the universe they haven’t seen before – like the first galaxies that appeared in it.

This is possible for two reasons: the first is that James Webb is very large: the primary mirror has a diameter of 6.5 meters (almost three times larger than the previous Hubble telescope).

The second is that it can be seen in infrared. Hubble could only see a limited range of this wavelength.

Because infrared light has a longer wavelength than others, James Webb will be able to look back in time — and see the first galaxies that formed in the early universe.

It’s like looking into the past.

(Video: Below understand the importance and how the James Webb Space Telescope works.)