News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
A critical stage of the James Webb Space Telescope’s mirror alignment has been completed, keeping the state-of-the-art observatory on track to commence science observations in a few months. On March 11, the telescope completed its final round of fine phasing to correct alignment errors. No issues have been identified, and the Webb team is … Read more
Dogs might not be able to recognize themselves in a mirror, but that doesn’t mean our pets don’t have some level of self-awareness. Recent research has shown dogs can recognize the unique smell of their own odor, sort of like looking in an ‘olfactory mirror’, and in 2021, a study found they might also have … Read more
From our long lives to our social skills and even language, zoologist Antone Martinho-Truswell argues that we are more like birds than we think Humans 9 March 2022 By Simon Ings EVOLUTION has created a living world of jaw-dropping diversity. It has also generated what seem like astonishing coincidences. The pangolins of Africa and armadillos … Read more
Expanding upon IDW Publishing’s dip into “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and their uncanny encounters in the Mirror Universe that we first relayed to you back in 2021, a new one-shot comic set in the same realm shines a spotlight on the fan favorite character of Geordi La Forge (portrayed by actor LeVar Burton). The … Read more
Stars are getting sharper in the James Webb Space Telescope‘s field of view. The team recently completed the third of seven planned steps to align the 18 hexagonal segments of Webb’s mirror, marking nearly the halfway point in a complex, weeks-long process. The second and third stages were respectively called segment alignment and image stacking, … Read more
Several instruments are preparing to help the James Webb Space Telescope with its mirror alignment and future observations, with several key steps achieved in recent days, according to NASA. The filter wheel for the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) has been successfully calibrated, allowing this key part of the Fine Guidance System (FGS) … Read more
Star light, star bright, the James Webb Space Telescope has seen its first star (though it wasn’t quite tonight) – and even taken a selfie, NASA announced Friday. The steps are part of the months-long process of aligning the observatory’s enormous golden mirror that astronomers hope will begin unraveling the mysteries of the early Universe … Read more
The space telescope has successfully completed a series of crucial steps to achieve full deployment, and will now continue to its final destination 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth Space 10 January 2022 By Alex Wilkins An artist’s impression of the full deployed James Webb Space Telescope NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez The James Webb Space … Read more
We can all let out a collective sigh of relief. With its primary mirror array fully unfolded, the major components of the beleaguered James Webb Space Telescope are now deployed, and it continues to calmly make its way to its destination. The deployment, completed on 8 January 2022, marks a pretty important milestone for … Read more
Astronomers and space fans around the world can breathe a sigh of relief: The James Webb Space Telescope is now fully deployed. The $10 billion NASA observatory unfolded the second “wing” of its massive primary mirror today (Jan. 8), bringing the light-collecting structure up to its full size and marking the end of the mission’s … Read more