One month after the launch, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has arrived at Lagrange Point L2. In an orbit about 1.5 million km away from the earth, the space telescope will prepare for observation such as adjustment of the optical system over the next three months.
In the L2 orbit, the light from the sun is blocked by the shadow of the earth, so the aircraft can be kept at an ultra-low temperature. Therefore, thermal interference with infrared equipment is unlikely to occur, and the optimum environment for observation can be obtained.
If the number of elements that interfere with the observation is reduced, it will be difficult for noise to enter the observation of the very distant universe, and it is expected to acquire high-precision observation data that could not be obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope that was observing from the orbit around the earth. .. JWST is also equipped with a large sunshield, and the aircraft will be observing at a low temperature of minus 230 ° C.
JWST has been suffering from plan changes and troubles, and development has been postponed many times due to the new Corona, but since the launch, there have been no noticeable troubles so far, and preparations for observation are proceeding smoothly. It’s good to see what’s going on.
The Hubble Space Telescope is nearing its end of life as a device, so expectations are rising for JWST as its successor.
???? Home, home on Lagrange! We successfully completed our burn to start #NASAWebb on its orbit of the 2nd Lagrange point (L2), about a million miles (1.5 million km) from Earth. It will orbit the Sun, in line with Earth, as it orbits L2. https://t.co/bsIU3vccAj #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/WDhuANEP5h
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) January 24, 2022
(Source: NASA. Reprinted from the Japanese version of Engadget)
