![]() In fact, Webb's mirrors need to be at about minus 364 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 220 degrees Celsius) to work as intended. However, since infrared light is essentially heat, if Webb were too warm it wouldn't be able to detect infrared light past the glow of its own mirror. To peer out into the farthest reaches of the universe and spot its stars and galaxies, Webb observes in infrared light. ![]() In this cryogenic chamber, which is a facility that creates an extremely cold environment, "we were able to deploy the entire telescope," Ochs said. Ochs shared that they tested the hardware "at Johnson Space Center in their chamber that was built back in the Apollo era that was modified to become the largest cryogenic chamber in the world." To develop, build and test Webb's mirrors, it took "a product integrity team that was made up of optical experts from all around the world," Bill Ochs, the James Webb Space Telescope project manager, said during the same news conference. Webb has been over 20 years in the making since development first began on the scope in 1996. The James Webb Space Telescope's mirror undergoes cryogenic testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. In addition to being extremely durable while comparably lightweight, beryllium can also hold its shape at the extreme cold temperatures that Webb will need to operate at, according to the NASA statement. Each mirror piece weighs about 46 pounds (20 kilograms) on Earth. They are actually constructed from beryllium, a strong but lightweight metal. Now, while Webb's mirror segments are coated in gold, they are not made of solid gold. Webb's mirrors are said to be 98% reflective - meaning they reflect 98% of incoming photons - which is about as reflective as it comes.įeinberg added that "it's also a protective gold that has an overcoat. "So you also want the reflectivity of each of these coatings to be extremely high so we don't lose photons along the way." "The reason you build such a large telescope is to catch every individual photon," he added. gold actually has the highest reflectivity over a very wide wavelength band." For one, it is extremely reflective (which is readily apparent in its brilliant appearance). It has such a striking appearance that NASA even held an art challenge open to public submissions of art inspired by the space telescope. Gunn)Īside from its hexagonal shape and enormous size, Webb's most distinctive feature is the shiny, bright gold color of its mirror. The James Webb Space Telescope's 21.3-foot (6.5 meter) diameter primary mirror. "These actuators are actually a pretty amazing piece of engineering in the sense that they can move long strokes, called core stage, but they also have a fine stage which can move extremely precise, fractional wavelengths of light," Feinberg said. There are six actuators on the back of each mirror piece that can move each piece of the mirror in minuscule amounts very slowly, allowing the mission team to fine-tune Webb's view. Actuators are tiny mechanical motors that help the mirror to focus on far-off objects. In addition to its shape that helps it to pick up light from very far away, Webb's mirror operates with the help of what are called actuators. A square mirror would send a lot of the light out of the central region." oval mirror, for example, would give images that are elongated in one direction. "If the segments were circular, there would be gaps between them," the statement reads, adding that "a roughly circular overall mirror shape is desired because that focuses the light into the most compact region on the detectors. The space telescope's signature honeycomb mirror segments are shaped as such because the pieces can fit together in a way that makes it possible for the primary mirror, made up of all of the pieces, to be a roughly circular shape, according to a NASA statement. There, the instrument will make powerful observations of far-off celestial bodies the telescope's infrared view will be able to penetrate interstellar dust. The James Webb Space Telescope will rest in space at Lagrange Point 2, a spot directly behind Earth from the sun's perspective.
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