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James Webb Space Telescope has locked onto guide star in crucial milestone

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The James Webb Space Telescope‘s key pointing instrument is working well in testing, according to two space agencies involved with the observatory’s commissioning work. The Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS), a contribution from Honeywell on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency, successfully  “locked on” to a specific guide star in tracking mode on Sunday (Feb. 13), … Read more

Want to use the James Webb Space Telescope? Here’s how scientists book time with the giant observatory.

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The hottest commodity in astronomy these days is time — specifically, time using NASA’s brand-new, ultra-powerful observatory. The James Webb Space Telescope, also known as JWST or Webb, launched on Dec. 25, 2021, and is scheduled to begin science observations by this summer. Astronomers eagerly await that moment: Scientists believe that the telescope’s sensitivity and … Read more

JWST: James Webb Space Telescope just sent back its first image – of itself

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NASA engineers working to align the 18 hexagonal mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope have released its first pictures. One shows the same star appearing 18 times, while a camera also took a ‘selfie’ of the mirrors Space 11 February 2022 By Leah Crane A selfie taken by a camera onboard the James Webb … Read more

‘Holy cow!’ How the James Webb Space Telescope took a selfie in space

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We’ve just seen the first up-close view of the James Webb Space Telescope hard at work in deep space. A special lens within the telescope’s near-infrared camera (NIRCam) instrument allowed engineers to take a look at Webb’s mirror alignment and to generate a cool view of the telescope, all at the same time. Engineers now … Read more

This Is The James Webb Space Telescope’s First-Ever Photograph of a Star

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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 James Webb Space Telescope’s first images have scientists excited (and a bit relieved)

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The James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first grainy images of a distant star and mission scientists are, to put it mildly, ecstatic.  Today (Feb. 11), NASA unveiled the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, which has identified starlight for the first time using its NIRCam instrument (which is essentially a camera … Read more

Behold the 1st images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope!

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The wait is finally over. The team behind NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released some of the first images from the much-anticipated observatory on Friday (Feb. 11). The main photo, which doesn’t even hint at the power Webb will bring to the universe once it’s fully operational, shows a star called HD 84406 and is … Read more

NASA to unveil 1st images from James Webb Space Telescope today. Here’s where to find them.

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NASA will unveil the first-ever images from the James Webb Space Telescope on today (Feb. 11) and you’ll be able to see them as they debut online. But don’t expect a dazzling view. The first images captured by Webb, the largest telescope ever flown in space, will be released today at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope’s groundbreaking optics explained by NASA

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The James Webb Space Telescope suffers from astigmatism, but that visual condition is a very good thing for astronomy, NASA assures us. A new explainer video the agency posted on YouTube talks about the huge telescope’s optics and how they will let astronomers peer deep into the universe’s history for future science work, ranging across … Read more

Paint it black: behind the James Webb Space Telescope’s signature color

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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has to stay super cool to observe the cosmos. How does it beat the heat? Black paint.  As the agency explained in its new YouTube series “Elements of Webb,” the James Webb Space Telescope‘s radiator is painted black to absorb heat. Just like how black asphalt gets hot in the … Read more