The James Webb Telescope is already damaged | Abroad

In almost all cases, the damage is such that the work of the space telescope is not jeopardized. NASA adjusts the data sent from the affected mirrors slightly, so that the observations have no effect. On the other hand, one of the collisions was that the telescope became less accurate. However, the performance of the device is still better than expected.

Moreover, such effects were expected, although NASA now doubts whether the probability calculations are correct. “It may be an unfortunate early impact from a high-velocity micrometeorite that only occurs once every few years, but the telescope could also be more susceptible to damage from micrometeorites than was calculated prior to launch,” she said. agency in a statement.

Image of a dying star by the James Webb Space Telescope.

via Reuters

NASA will now re-examine how to reduce the risks of micrometeorites. It can help, for example, to reduce the appearance of a space telescope in the direction it normally comes.

Despite the effects, the James Webb Space Telescope can still take pictures, like this one from the Carina Star Nebula.

Reuters

Micrometeorites are tiny dust particles no larger than a thousandth of a millimeter in size, and they can cause a great deal of damage due to their high velocity.