This abstract image is a preview of the instrumental power of NASA’s James Webb space telescope. The picture was taken during the testing period of the NIRSpec device. It is used to study astronomical objects in distant galaxies. He will be engaged in the breakdown of light into spectra, which will allow studying the composition of celestial bodies.
Created using one of the internal calibration lamps as a light source. The picture shows many spectra in the form of horizontal stripes, which recorded two detectors. Wavelengths extend from left to right.
To create an image, more than 100 microsatches of the device were used - miniature windows with a width of human hair. Thin stripes in the upper and lower parts of the frame reflect the spectra created by the light passing through the microgates. Thicker bands in the center are extracted by the light entering the instrument through 5 central slots. In space, micro-shutters will open and close depending on the distribution of stars and galaxies. A calibration image was acquired in 2017 during a test in a giant thermal vacuum chamber at the NASA Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas). Tests have shown that the combined structure (the telescope of James Webb and 4 scientific instruments) works flawlessly at a temperature of -233 ° C.
