A new report has warned that the James Webb telescope’s primary mirror could have suffered more damage than previously thought after a micrometeorite collided with it. The telescope, the spiritual successor to the Hubble Observatory, has generated a lot of excitement over the past week as it unveiled stunning images of the oldest and deepest parts of the universe ever seen.
NASA scientists are delighted with the possibilities of the JWST, as it could help solve some of the deepest mysteries in the universe, such as the huge black hole called Sagittarius A or Sgr A located in the center of the JWST. Milky Way.
However, an article published Tuesday on the academic print server arxiv.org revealed that most of the micrometeoroid blows to James Webb’s large mirror had caused negligible damage.
Unfortunately, the report warned that once in mid-May a micrometeoroid left the expensive telescope with permanent damage.
The authors wrote: “The impact of a single micrometeorite that occurred between 22 and 24 May 2022 UT exceeded expectations of pre-launch damage from a single micrometeoroid that triggered research and modeling by the JWST project “.
Micrometeoroids are small space rocks, which usually weigh less than a gram.
Despite their negligible size, the report warned that further blows from these space rocks could pose a threat to the observatory’s longevity.
The report said: “Mirrors and parasol are expected to degrade slowly due to micrometeoroid impacts.
“Detectors are expected to experience slow damage accumulated by charged particles, parasol and multilayer insulation will be degraded by space weathering.
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“The spacecraft was designed for a five – year mission (as is standard for NASA science missions); and scientific instruments include many moving parts at cryogenic temperatures.
“Currently, the biggest source of uncertainty is the long-term effects of micrometeoroid impacts that slowly degrade the primary mirror.”
The JWST uses a 6.5-meter-diameter segmented mirror to collect light and focus on scientific instruments, which are exposed in space.
Instead, its predecessor Hubble, encloses the primary mirror inside a cylindrical housing.