NASA RELEASES FIRST “FULLY ALIGNED” IMAGE FROM JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE

 

"WE HAVE THE HIGHEST RESOLUTION INFRARED IMAGES TAKEN FROM SPACE IN THE HISTORY EVER”

In Full Focus

A spectacular new image acquired by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope shows a completely focused star surrounded by a dizzying array of galaxies.

In a video accompanying the news, Scott Acton, a wavefront sensing and controls scientist working on the telescope, said, "We have the best resolution infrared photos acquired from space ever."

Acton said that the telescope "performed better than the models predicted."

It's a fantastic accomplishment and a significant reward for the numerous scientists who have worked painstakingly to create, launch, and deploy the gigantic space observatory.

In a statement, Thomas Zurbuchen, assistant administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, stated, "More than 20 years ago, the Webb team set out to create the most powerful telescope that anyone has ever put in orbit and came up with an innovative optical design to achieve demanding science goals." "Today, we can confidently state that design will deliver."

Fine Phasing

Scientists finished the telescope's latest phase of alignment, known as "fine phasing," late last week. In other words, the telescope's 18 hexagonal mirror segments were perfectly aligned to focus on a single bright star.

The outcomes are even better than anticipated. "Every optical parameter that has been verified and tested is functioning at, or above, expectations," NASA said in a press release.

According to NASA, there were also "no critical concerns and no observable pollution or blockages in Webb's optical path."

"We've fully aligned and focussed the telescope on a star, and the results are exceeding expectations," said Ritva Keski-Kuha, the telescope's deputy optical telescope element manager. "Now we know we built the correct telescope."

Before preparing the JSWT's scientific instruments, scientists want to finish the last steps of the alignment process.

Official operations won't begin for another few months, despite the huge success, but the excitement is evident.

In the video, Acton says, "I can't wait to see what it reveals."