 |
| how were mirrors formed in james webb telescope |
The mirrors of the James Webb telescope are the biggest and most complex mirrors built to date. The telescope consists of 18 HEXAGONAL mirrors. These mirrors will look at those regions of the cosmos that no other telescope in the past could. They will show us how the cosmos looked just 200 million years after the big bang and will help us understand the formation of the first galaxies.
But how Exactly is Webb going to achieve that?
What is it so special about the 18 hexagonal mirrors of the telescope that make it the most incredible space telescope humans have built to date?
For any telescope out there, the primary mirror is like its heart the primary mirror is the one that captures all the light from distant sources and this light is further processed to produce breathtaking images of the cosmos, wonders beyond us. However, this is possible if only the mirrors are designed precisely. Fabricating a telescopic mirror is not a cakewalk. Many factors need to be taken into consideration during their fabrication.
First, the mirror must be light weight. Yet extremely sturdy to withstand the pressures it is subjected to during its launch and overall journey.
So to realize these properties in Webb's mirrors, BERYLLIUM was used.
But why Beryllium?
What's so special about this element?
Beryllium is a light metal that is very strong for its weight. It is a good conductor of electricity, heat, and is not magnetic. Moreover, Beryllium is good at holding its shape across various temperatures, making it desirable for manufacturing Webb's primary mirror.
To construct the mirror a finely powered class of Beryllium o-30 was used. Webb's primary mirror is a giant beast, significantly larger than all the mirrors available on the current generation of space telescopes.
In total the primary mirror is composed of 18 hexagonal-shaped mirror segments. Each of the segments is 1.32 meters in diameter and weighs approximately 20kilograms.
also read:WHAT IS SPACE PEN
ALSO READ:BECOME A BILLIONARE BY OWING NFTs! what NFT means