James Webb Telescope

On the 11th March 2022, the 18 segments of the mirror were aligned and there are now high expectations from NASA that the telescope is going to be able to perform better than projected.

An image was taken to test the mirror alignment, and the focus of the image was the bright star in the centre. Because the telescope is so sensitive, distant galaxies and stars can be seen in the background.

On the 7th April 2022, one of the instruments on the telescope, the Mid-infrared instrument (MIRI), had to reach its final operating temperature of -266 °C. This low temperature is needed because all of the instruments on the Webb telescope detect infrared light which is emitted by warm objects including the telescope. So the MIRI and the other instruments on the telescope have to be cooled so they do not emit infrared radiation.

Mrs Goodwill