On Sunday, January 15, 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near Infrared and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) experienced a communication delay within the instrument, causing the flight software to shut down. While the device is currently unavailable for scientific observations, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to identify and resolve the root cause of the delay. There are no signs of danger to the equipment and the observatory and other instruments are in good condition. Specified scientific observations will be conveyed.
Near Infrared Camera and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS)
NIRISS components cameras captures two-dimensional images of space regions. Spectrographs emits light over a spectrum, so the brightness of each wavelength can be measured. diaphragm mask Webb is a metal plate with seven hexagonal holes placed in front of detectors to increase the telescope’s effective resolution and produce more detailed images of extremely bright objects.
wavelength range NIRISS NIRISS is designed to capture light with wavelengths between 0.6 microns (visible red) and 5 microns (mid infrared).
Field of view NIRISS Field of view The instrument is the amount of sky it can observe at any given time. (The actual area that can be observed depends on the distance from the observed object.) This image shows the Hurricane galaxy (M51) taken by the Hubble Space Telescope for scale. The image covers an area of 9.6×6.6 arc minutes. (The diameter of the full moon in the sky is about 31 arc minutes.) NIRISS covers a field of view of about 2.2×2.2 arc minutes.
NIRISS image processing modes Standard Display It is the equivalent of basic digital photography and involves capturing various objects and materials in space that emit or reflect infrared light. interferometry Aperture Mask (AMI) involves the use of an aperture mask to increase the effective resolution of the telescope and produce more detailed images. With the diaphragm mask in place, only the light passing through the holes hits the detectors, the rest is blocked. AMI simulates the effect of a telescope array in which several telescopes work together to simulate the light-gathering ability of a single much larger telescope. AMI is used to separate the light of bright objects, such as stars, that are close together in space or in the sky.
spectroscopy modes NIRIS. Wide field slitless spectroscopy involves capturing the general spectrum of a wide field of view: a star field, part of a nearby galaxy, or several galaxies at once. Slitless spectroscopy of an object involves capturing the spectrum of a bright object, such as a star, in the field of view.
Source: Port Altele
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