JWST can take images in up to 27 filters that capture different ranges of the infrared spectrum. “Is this exactly what we’d see if we were there? The answer to that is no because our eyes are not built to see in infrared, and also the telescope is far more sensitive to light than our eyes.” In that sense, the telescope’s enhanced vision gives us a truer representation of what these cosmic objects look like than our relatively limited eyes could do. Scientists have to make adjustments to turn JWST’s raw data into something human eyes can appreciate, but its photos are “real,” says Alyssa Pagan, science visuals developer for the Space Telescope Science Institute. Olmsted, STScI ( references) Are the Pictures “Real”? Coronagraphs are opaque circles that block that bright starlight to let the weaker signals through.Ĭredit: Jen Christiansen ( graphic) NASA ESA STScI Andi James and J. Integral Field Unit: A combined camera and spectrograph captures an image, along with spectra for each pixel, revealing how the light varies across the field of view.Ĭoronagraphs: Glare from bright stars can blot out fainter light from planets and debris disks orbiting those stars. Spectrographs: Gratings or prisms separate incoming light into spectra to reveal the intensity of individual wavelengths.Ĭameras: JWST has three cameras-two that capture light in the near-infrared wavelength range and one that works in the mid-infrared. Micro Shutter Array: A grid of 248,000 small doors can open or close to measure spectra-light spread into its constituent wavelengths-from up to 100 points in a single frame. The technique reveals more details of very bright objects close together, such as two stars nearby on the sky. Īperture Masking: A perforated metal plate blocks some of the light entering the telescope, allowing it to simulate an interferometer, which combines data from multiple telescopes to achieve higher resolution than a single lens. Credit: Jen Christiansen Six Data Collection Components.
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