Better safe than sorry.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is adjusting its orbit to — hopefully — avoid getting pelted with so many micrometeorites.
"We have experienced 14 measurable micrometeoroid hits on our primary mirror, and are averaging one to two per month, as anticipated," Webb lead mission systems engineer Mike Menzel said in"The resulting optical errors from all but one of these were well within what we had budgeted and expected when building the observatory," he added, referring to athat made a larger-than-expected dent in one of the telescope's 18 hexagonal mirror segments earlier this year.
Fortunately, despite the noticeable dent in mirror segment C3, "our current optical performance is still twice as good as our requirements," Menzel said.Now, a working group of experts have decided that while the impact was a statistically rare event, future observations will be made while facing the telescope away from the "micrometeoroid avoidance zone." Why? Because if the telescope is facing the other way, the meteorites that do strike it won't hit it quite so hard.
"Micrometeoroids that strike the mirror head on have twice the relative velocity and four times the kinetic energy," explained Lee Feinberg, Webb optical telescope element manager, in the update, "so avoiding this direction when feasible will help extend the exquisite optical performance for decades."
In other words, James Webb will still be able to observe the same targets — but may have to wait until it reaches a different point in its orbit to do so.
日本 最新ニュース, 日本 見出し
Similar News:他のニュース ソースから収集した、これに似たニュース記事を読むこともできます。
James Webb Space Telescope spots faint galaxy 'PEARLS' in stunning new viewAndrew is a freelance space journalist with a focus on reporting on China's rapidly growing space sector. He began writing for Space.com in 2019 and writes for SpaceNews, IEEE Spectrum, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist and others. Andrew first caught the space bug when, as a youngster, he saw Voyager images of other worlds in our solar system for the first time. Away from space, Andrew enjoys trail running in the forests of Finland. You can follow him on Twitter AJ_FI.
続きを読む »
James Webb Space Telescope hailed as the greatest science breakthrough of 2022The $10 billion telescope was undoubtedly the star of 2022.
続きを読む »
James Webb Space Telescope's best images of all time (gallery)The infrared observatory has a unique view of the universe.
続きを読む »
How the James Webb telescope's glances back in time are reshaping cosmologyThe observatory has found dozens of galaxies from less than 550 million years after the Big Bang, suggesting galaxies formed faster than once thought.
続きを読む »
Baby stars throw cosmic tantrums in iconic James Webb Space Telescope imageThe stunning image hides jets and outflows from protostars.
続きを読む »
In a first, hear a Mars rover get hit by a 387-foot dust devilThe towering vortex slammed into the NASA rover Perseverance — and scientists are ecstatic
続きを読む »