At the heart of the James Webb Telescope, what happens before it is fully operational?

The most expensive and powerful space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, is at least ready for the historic moment of the full launch of scientific activity, but two months before that experiment. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has begun the final step before launching. This valuable observatory is now experiencing all temperatures from hot to cold by testing thermal stability. At the same time, other activities are underway to fully launch: the study of the details of the scientific tools that form the heart of the web. Because to complete the launch operation, it is necessary to measure the exact performance of the scientific instruments before the normal scientific process begins in the summer. The details of this final stage of commissioning are explained. With the telescope fully aligned and the observatory's final freezing temperature approaching, scientists are ready to carry out the latest set of activities before the start of scientific observations: launching scientific tools.

• At this stage, the exact targeting of each tool will also be tested. For some observations, it is sufficient to point the telescope using the position of a guiding star in the precision guidance sensor and determine the location of the scientific target relative to that guiding star. This puts the scientific goal at the center of the study with a precision of a few tenths of an arc second.

  But in some cases more precision is required, which reaches approximately one hundredth of an arc second. For coronation, for example, the star must be placed behind a mask to block its light and allow the adjacent extrasolar planet to radiate. In time series observations, scientists study how an extrasolar planet's atmosphere absorbs stellar light during the hours it spends in front of it, allowing the properties and components of the planet's atmosphere to be measured. Both applications require the scientific instrument to be modified into a telescope targeting control system Send to put the scientific goal in exactly the right place in the tool's field of vision.

  Another important activity in the web tool launch phase is observing moving goals. Most astronomical objects are so far away that they appear to be fixed in the sky. But this is not the case with the planets, satellites and rings, asteroids and comets in our solar system. Observing these objects requires the observatory to change its direction in reference to the background guiding stars during the observation. A capability that will be tested before launching by observing asteroids at different apparent velocities using any scientific instrument. Prepare your science. The important features and capabilities of the tools for testing, measuring, and demonstrating aptitude remain, but once these are complete, the Web is ready to launch the large-scale science programs that astronomers and the general public have been eagerly awaiting. There is not a long way to go until that historic moment.

  • Take a turn to use the James Webb Telescope!

  Photo Cover: Graphic Design from the James Webb Space Telescope
  Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

  Sources: NASA, Space

Source: How To Geek