The next-generation space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), sent its first selfie. A special lens on an infrared camera attached to the telescope captured the image of 18 mirrors. Courtesy of NASA
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most powerful next-generation space telescope in human history, sent its first selfie. It is confirmed that the James Webb Space Telescope, which landed at its destination after a long journey of 1.5 million km from Earth to observe the early universe right after the Big Bang, is operating without any problems.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released photos sent by the James Webb Space Telescope, including selfies and starlight in the constellation Ursa Major on the 11th (local time).
The James Webb Space Telescope is a next-generation space telescope that will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope, which has conducted observation missions in low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 537 to 541 km since the 1990s. Since 1996, about $10 billion (about 11.8 trillion won) has been invested in the production alone. It is considered one of the largest projects in the history of astronomy. The James Webb Space Telescope has a main mirror made of 18 golden hexagonal mirrors joined together in a honeycomb shape to reach a diameter of 6.5m. Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which observed the visible and near-infrared spectrum, it is also possible to observe the infrared band, allowing us to observe deeper space in space.
Astronomers are expecting to provide new observational data to fields that have been difficult to study in astronomy and space research, such as medium-sized black holes and the rate of expansion of the universe. Immediately after the Big Bang, they captured the early signs of the creation of the universe and were also tasked with investigating exoplanets and extraterrestrial life.
Starlight in the constellation Ursa Major captured by 18 golden hexagonal mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope. Courtesy of NASA
This time, the James Webb Space Telescope captured starlight in the constellation Ursa Major. The 18 golden hexagonal mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope are each dotted with images taken at the star HD-84406 in the constellation Ursa Major. Currently, 18 mirrors are in the process of fine-tuning to move like a single mirror. In order to create a clear image, it is necessary to adjust the mirror in nanometers (nm·one billionth of a meter). During this process, this image was taken for testing. When the alignment is complete, the dots in the 18 photos are combined to complete one image.
In addition to starlight, the James Webb Space Telescope also sent selfies taken using an attached near-infrared camera (NIRCam). A special lens of an infrared camera attached to the telescope captured the image of the mirror. NASA said the camera was installed for mirror alignment purposes, but unintentionally performed a selfie function.
The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to begin full-scale observation around the end of June when mirror alignment is completed. The first object to be observed by the James Webb Space Telescope is likely to be the Large Magellanic Cloud, an object of uniform brightness. The Large Magellanic Cloud is one of the closest galaxies to Earth, about 170,000 light-years away, and star formation continues.