One of the four primary scientific instruments in the James Webb Space Telescope, known as the Near Infrared Imaging Instrument and Slotless Spectrograph (NIRISS) has completed its post-launch preparations and is now ready for science.
The last NIRISS mode that was tested before the instrument was declared ready to begin scientific operations was the ability of single-object slotless spectroscopy (SOSS). The heart of SOSS mode is a specialized set of prisms that scatter light from a cosmic source to create three distinctive spectra (rainbow), revealing shades of more than 2,000 infrared colors collected simultaneously in a single observation. This mode will be used specifically to probe the atmospheres of exoplanets in transit, that is, planets that periodically eclipse their star, momentarily attenuating the star’s brightness over a period of time. By comparing with great precision the spectra collected during and before or after a transit event, it is possible to determine not only whether or not the exoplanet has an atmosphere, but also which atoms and molecules are there.
“I am very excited and thrilled to think that we have finally reached the end of this two-decade journey of Canada’s contribution to the mission. The four NIRISS modes are not only ready, but the instrument as a whole is working. Significantly better than we had anticipated. I’m pinching myself thinking that we are a few days away from the start of scientific operations, and in particular that NIRISS will probe its first exoplanet atmospheres, “said René Doyon, principal investigator at NIRISS , as well as Webb’s Fine Orientation Sensor, at the University of Montreal.
With the launch activities following the launch of NIRISS, Webb’s team will continue to focus on marking the remaining five modes on its other instruments. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA, will release its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on July 12, 2022.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest, most powerful, and most complex space science telescope ever built. Webb will solve mysteries of our solar system, look beyond distant worlds around other stars, and investigate the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
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