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How does the camera work on the James Web telescope and see so far? – Kiran c. , The age of 12, Minnesota
Imagine a powerful camera that you can see light from galaxies that have formed more than 13 billion years ago. This is exactly what the NASA James Web telescope is designed.
Since its launch December 2021Webb was about more than a million miles from Earth, as he took pictures of breathtaking breathtaking space. But how do you really work? How can you see yet? The secret lies in its strong cameras – especially those that do not see light the way our eyes work.
I am the world of astronomical physics Who studies superior black galaxies and holes, and Webb Telescope is a great tool to monitor some early galaxies and black holes in the universe.
When webb takes a picture of a distant galaxy, astronomers, like me, actually see what this galaxy appears to be billions of years ago. The light from that galaxy was traveling through space for billions of years to reach the telescope mirror. It is like the presence of a time machine that takes shots of the early universe.
Using a giant mirror to collect ancient light, webb was discovering new secrets about the universe.
Telescope sees the heat
Unlike regular cameras or even Hubble space telescope, which takes pictures of visible light, webb is designed to see a kind of illicit light for your eyes: Red radiation light. Infrared light has longer wavelengths than visible light, which is why our eyes cannot discover. But with the right tools, webb can capture infrared light to study some of the oldest and most distant organisms in the universe.
Infrared cameras, such as night vision glasses, “see” infrared waves emitted from warm things such as humans and animals. Photo temperatures in Fahrenheit degrees. NASA/jpl-caltech
Although the human eye cannot see it, people can discover infrared light as a form of heat using a specialized technique, such as infrared cameras or thermal sensors. For example, night vision glasses use infrared light to detect warm things in the dark. Webb uses the same idea to study stars, galaxies and planets.
Why infrared rays? When visible light travels from distant galaxies across the universe, Stretch. This is because the The universe expands. This expansion turns visible light into infrared light. Therefore, distant galaxies in space are no longer shining in visible light anymore – they glow with low infrared. This is Webb Light designed to detect.
A golden mirror to collect the most faint glow
Before the light reaches the cameras, it must be assembled first with a web telescope Huge golden mirror. The width of this mirror increases to more than 21 feet (6.5 meters) and is made of 18 mirror pieces that fit together like a honeyed disk. It is enveloped in a thin layer of real gold – not only to look fictional, but because gold reflects the infrared light very well.
The mirror collects light from deep space and reflects it in telescope tools. the The largest mirrorThe more the light he can collect – the more you can see. Webb is the largest that has ever launched in space.
The 21 -feet initial mirror, made of 18 hexagonal mirrors, coated with gold paint. Nassa
Inside the cameras: NIRCAM and Miri
The most important “eyes” of the telescope are a scientific tool that behaves like cameras: NIRCAM and Miri.
NIRCAM stands on the camera close to infrared. It is the main camera on Webb and takes amazing pictures of galaxies and stars. She also has Coronagraph A device that prevents the light of the stars so that it can depict very faded objects near bright sources, such as the planets that revolve around the bright stars.
NIRCAM works by photographing a bright light of infraredThe type closest to what human eyes can see almost, and divide it into different wavelengths. This helps scientists learn not only the shape of something, but what is made of it. Various materials in space absorb and emit infrared light in specific wavelengths, which creates a kind of unique The chemical footprint. By studying these fingerprints, scientists can detect the characteristics of stars and distant galaxies.
Miri, or the mid -infrared tool, The lengths of the infrared waves discover longerIt is especially useful for discovering cold things and dust, such as stars that still form inside the gas clouds. Miri can even help find evidence about the types of molecules in an atmosphere Planets that may support life.
Both cameras are much more sensitive than the standard cameras used on the ground. NIRCAM and Miri can discover the smallest amounts of heat from billions of light years. If you have Nircam from Webb as your own, you can see the heat from Bumblebee on the moon. This is what is sensitive.
Webb’s first deep field: Miri image is on the left and a NIRCAM image on the right. Nassa
Since webb tries to discover the low heat of distant things, it needs to keep the cold as much as possible. That is why it carries Giant sun shield for the size of the tennis court. This shield blocks five layers of the heat from the sun, the earth and even the moon, which helps Webb to stay incredibly cold: about -370 ° F (-223 ° C).
Miri needs to be cooler. It has its own refrigerator, called Cryocoler, to keep it cold to approximately 447 degrees Fahrenheit (-266 ° C). If webb is a bit warm, its heat will flood the remote signals you are trying to discover.
Convert the space space into pictures
Once the light reaches the Webb Telescope cameras, it strikes sensors called detectors. This detection Do not take regular photos like the phone camera. Instead, they convert the infrared light incoming into digital data. Then this data is sent to the ground, where scientists treat it Full colors pictures.
The colors we see in webb pictures are not what the camera sees directly. Since infrared light is invisible, scientists help colors for different wavelengths to help us understand what is in the picture. These manufactured images help show the structure of galaxies and age, make stars and more.
Using a giant mirror to collect invisible infrared light and send it to super cold cameras, web allows us to see galaxies formed after the start of the universe.
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This article has been republished from ConversationAn independent, non -profit news organization brings you facts and trusted analysis to help you understand our complex world. Written by: Uday Fordand Maryland University, Baltimore Province
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Adi FOORD does not work with, consulting, or receiving them from any company or institution that will benefit from this article, and has not revealed any related affiliations that exceed its academic appointment.
