Channel: New Scientist

Category: Science & Technology

Tags: jameswebbinfraredopticsbig bangspacehubblespace photographyfirst lightimageryjwst updateunvisible lighthubble telescopeblack holenasa telescopeimagesdistantjames webb telescope imagesstarsjames webbjames webb space telescopejames webb telescopevisiondeep spacetimetelescope

Description: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has reached a crucial phase in the alignment of its mirrors. Images from this process have shown that everything is working even better than expected, and the telescope’s operators say that its performance will be able to meet or even exceed the goals that were originally set for it. JWST peers into the cosmos with the help of 18 gold-plated hexagonal mirrors. For it to work properly, all of these mirrors have to be aligned with extraordinary precision – within nanometres – so that they act as one. When the observatory sent back its first images in February, the mirrors weren’t yet aligned and the images were blurry. Now, although the alignment process isn’t quite complete, the image is crystal clear. Read more: newscientist.com/article/2312646-the-james-webb-space-telescope-has-sent-back-its-clearest-image-yet Subscribe ➤ bit.ly/NSYTSUBS Get more from New Scientist: Official website: bit.ly/NSYTHP Facebook: bit.ly/NSYTFB Twitter: bit.ly/NSYTTW Instagram: bit.ly/NSYTINSTA LinkedIn: bit.ly/NSYTLIN About New Scientist: New Scientist was founded in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today our website, videos, newsletters, app, podcast and print magazine cover the world’s most important, exciting and entertaining science news as well as asking the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human. New Scientist newscientist.com #jameswebb, #JWST