Although the James Webb Space Telescope is still in the alignment phase, scientists have high hopes for its incredible ability to observe the universe. In a discussion with Space.com, Andy Bunker, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, discussed how far scientists are willing to push Webb to achieve the best goals.
The NIRSpec, recently aligned with Webb’s primary mirror, is said to enhance the telescope’s capabilities because it is 100 times more powerful than a similar instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Surprisingly, this instrument is so powerful that it can detect a hundred different objects at once.
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#webb has a number of spectroscopy “modes” to choose from, depending on which astronomers are interested in observing 👇 #WebbSeesFarther
@NASA †@esa / Andi James ( @stsci †pic.twitter.com/bqOaMnbCKW
— ESA Webb telescope (@ESA_Webb) March 5, 2022
The NIRSpec, a contribution of the European Space Agency (ESA), will illuminate the universe through spectroscopy. According to scientists, NIRSpec’s job would be to separate light rays into individual elements of the light spectrum.
The spectroscopy process is vital because different components of the spectrum reflect the light-absorbing properties and chemical composition of the imaged objects, such as planets, stars and galaxies.
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👉 Multi-Object Spectroscopy uses a microshutter array ⏸️⏸️⏸️ to capture individual spectra of up to 100 objects/locations in space simultaneously, highly efficient for observing distant and dim targets, such as ancient galaxies, requiring hours of observation require
— ESA Webb telescope (@ESA_Webb) March 5, 2022
Interestingly, scientists can even evaluate an object’s temperature and mass by assessing its spectral range. Because the NIRSpec has to survey thousands of galaxies in its short operational period of just five years, it would be extremely useful to observe hundreds of objects at once, according to ESA.
Launched on December 25, Webb is currently stationed at the second Lagrange point, about 15 lakh kilometers from Earth, and will be fully operational in the coming months.
COVER IMAGE: ESA/TWITTER