space
James Webb Space Telescope sends first selfie from 1.5 million kilometers away
It takes some imagination to make out the first image from the James Webb Space Telescope: behind the mirrors, the star HD 84406, in the constellation Ursa Major, is quite blurry.
© NASA
The James Webb Space Telescope has reached its destination – and now the real work begins. As a small greeting, Nasa also received a kind of selfie.
The American space agency Nasa has reason to celebrate: the James Webb space telescope has transmitted the first image of its location. It shows the star HD 84406, which is part of the Ursa Major constellation. There was also a selfie from the interior.
The focus of the work is an image of 18 luminous points. This photo shows the same star more than once. According to NASA, the image serves as a basis for further alignment of the mirror, since the light of the star and its isolation from other celestial bodies are well suited for this.
18 points become one
Over the coming months, the James Webb team will align the mirrors so that the 18 points distributed form a star. In the summer, the researchers want to deliver unprecedented images from space – and the mosaic of 18 points was the beginning.
“Webb’s launch into space was obviously an exciting event, but for scientists and optical engineers it’s a highlight when light from a star successfully finds its way through the system onto a detector,” said Michael McElwain, project scientist for the Webb Observatory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The selfie is to be understood as an extra. It was created by a camera of the infrared instrument inside the telescope, which is intended to scan the mirror segments. It is only used by the engineers to work on the telescope and will not provide any images from space.
1.5 million kilometers in space
The James Webb Space Telescope is designed to help explore the early days of the universe 13 billion years ago. The telescope cost ten billion euros and was launched on Christmas Day last year. After quite a long journey and two weeks of unfolding the wings of the folded telescope, it is now in its final position. The James Webb Telescope works about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.