James Webb Telescope (1 Viewer)

[buzzmonkey]

More good news.

BBC News - James Webb Space Telescope: Sun shield is fully deployed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59873738

 

[buffalojim]

Fantastic news! I had read earlier that it had partially deployed without issue but this is obviously very good.

 

[buffalojim]

 

[Ethan]

More good news.

BBC News - James Webb Space Telescope: Sun shield is fully deployed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59873738

Love it! When do we expect to start seeing photos?

 

[buffalojim]

Love it! When do we expect to start seeing photos?

I thought I read like 4-6 months but I'm not fully up to speed on that. Hopefully somebody else knows better than myself.

 

[ruskba]

I thought I read like 4-6 months but I'm not fully up to speed on that. Hopefully somebody else knows better than myself.

Yea I think they said June or so for the first image, obviously depending on many other things going to plan first.

 

[buffalojim]

This is pretty cool too...

 

[ruskba]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1478771722769870851

I believe they said that they now "technically have a telescope!"

 

[AlbinoDragon]

They do indeed have a functioning telescope with that deployment. The secondary mirror at the end of that stalk directs light from the primary mirror back through a hole in the primary and back to where the instruments and cameras are. No secondary, no light to the instruments, so this was one of the very important deployment steps.

Even if the two sections of the primary mirror that are folded back right now never deploy, Webb will be able to do plenty of science, just with less light gathering power than originally planned.

Slow and steady progress, but the fact things have gone well up to now is very encouraging.

 

[ruskba]

L2 insertion complete!

https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/01/24/orbital-insertion-burn-a-success-webb-arrives-at-l2/

 

[Poker Zombie]

I've noticed that every image of the Webb is either an artist's rendition, or a photo taken while the telescope was on earth (pre launch).

Is it just me, or does anybody else think it's funny that we put a telescope so far away that we can't even see it with a telescope?

 

[buzzmonkey]

I've noticed that every image of the Webb is either an artist's rendition, or a photo taken while the telescope was on earth (pre launch).

Is it just me, or does anybody else think it's funny that we put a telescope so far away that we can't even see it with a telescope?

We could point a telescope at it to look. I think it's too small for most ground based telescopes to see it though and there could be some complicated issues with the angle you'd have to point the scopes at without the sun glare being an issue. Hubble might have a better shot at it but again, not sure how complex it would be to direct it at L2.

 

[Ethan]

I've noticed that every image of the Webb is either an artist's rendition, or a photo taken while the telescope was on earth (pre launch).

Is it just me, or does anybody else think it's funny that we put a telescope so far away that we can't even see it with a telescope?

Love this thought. Really sets things in perspective. Cannot wait for photos to start coming back!

 

[AlbinoDragon]

We could point a telescope at it to look. I think it's too small for most ground based telescopes to see it though and there could be some complicated issues with the angle you'd have to point the scopes at without the sun glare being an issue. Hubble might have a better shot at it but again, not sure how complex it would be to direct it at L2.

Many amateurs were taking images of it on the way out to L2. They have slowed in the last week, presumably because the moon and glow from that was getting in the way.

A friend of mine did a back of the envelope calculation and figured that it should be moderately easy for an amateur with mid-level equipment to be able to see it with some regularity if they try I know it's on my list to attempt once I get my kit back from having some repairs done (long story why and 100% my fault... ).

Hubble wouldn't really help here. It's not any closer or even an aperture advantage. Many people think Hubble sees so much better because it's closer to what it's looking at. The advantage is it doesn't have a turbulent and glowing atmosphere to look through.

For distance comparison, if the Earth were the size of a basketball, the moon is a baseball around 30 feet away. At this scale, Earth's atmosphere is roughly 10 sheets of paper thick. The ISS is about 50 sheets of paper away and HST about 60. At this scale, Webb is about 120 feet away. The odds that half the planet is closer to what is being observed than HST are pretty good.

[EDIT] - revised scale distance to Webb a little... I goofed on my math.

 

[ekricket]

L2 is a LaGrange point. It's a point in an object's orbit where the gravitational pull of the two largest nearby bodies essentially create a 'quiet point' graviationally in space.

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/754/what-is-a-lagrange-point/

I am a poker chip Lagrange point. Stuff accumulates heavily and has to be nudged out

@ovo is a poker chip Jupiter. Nothing ever leaves

 

[ekricket]

This thing is progressing nicely. Starting alignment and calibration looks like.

 

[ekricket]

I've noticed that every image of the Webb is either an artist's rendition, or a photo taken while the telescope was on earth (pre launch).

Is it just me, or does anybody else think it's funny that we put a telescope so far away that we can't even see it with a telescope?

Selfie

 

[Rieguy]

Feels like now is a good time to bump this thread. They were supposed to release the first images tomorrow, but decided to give us a sneak-peak today. Live stream below (once Joe wakes up apparently):