“James Webb” has delivered: A selfie and several photos of a star – all a bit blurry – should provide insights into the time after the Big Bang around 13.8 billion years ago.
Washington – The James Webb space telescope, launched in December, has sent the first images. The telescope sent photos of a star and a selfie to Earth, the US space agency Nasa said.
Although the images were still a bit blurry, the main aim was to prove that the camera and the telescope’s 18 mirror segments were working. The entire team was “thrilled” with the result, said the responsible scientist Marcia Rieke from the University of Arizona.
“James Webb” was launched on December 25 aboard an Ariane launch vehicle from the European space station in Kourou in French Guiana. During the flight, which lasted around four weeks, the sun protection of the telescope was opened and the mirror systems extended. James Webb reached its target orbit in January. Scientists hope that the recordings will provide insights into the time after the Big Bang around 13.8 billion years ago.
The telescope took around 30 years to develop and cost around $10 billion (€8.8 billion). It follows the Hubble telescope, which has been in use for more than 30 years. dpa
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