We have the right tools for the job! @NASAWebb has four instruments that will examine the universe in different ways, thanks to the six components that make up the devices. (1/8)
#WebbInstruments #UnfoldTheUniverse
Cameras: Three Webb instruments have cameras 📷 that will capture two-dimensional images of regions in space. NIRCam and NIRISS will capture images in the near-infrared, while MIRI will capture mid-infrared images. (2/8)
Spectrographs: All four of Webb’s instruments have spectrographs that spread light out into a rainbow-like spectrum 🌈 so the brightness of each individual wavelength can be measured. Webb has different types of spectrographs, each designed for a slightly different purpose. (3/8)
Coronagraphs: There will be two opaque disks used to block the bright light of stars to detect the much fainter light of planets and debris disks orbiting the star. NIRCam and MIRI have coronagraphs. (4/8)
Webb’s microshutter array: Only on NIRSpec, this grid of 248,000 tiny doors can be opened and closed to transmit or block light to capture spectra of 100 individual objects or points in space at the same time (known as multi-object spectroscopy). (5/8)
An integral field unit (IFU): A combination of a camera and a spectrograph used to capture and map spectra 🌈 (light!). The IFU creates a spectrum for each pixel of the image the telescope is capturing, providing scientists with valuable data. NIRSpec and MIRI have IFUs. (6/8)
Aperture mask: A metal plate with seven hexagonal holes that is placed in front of the detectors. This can help separate light of bright objects (like stars 🌟) that are close together in space or on the sky. NIRISS is the only instrument with this component. (7/8)
These six components make up #NASAWebb’s four instruments that will allow the telescope to see the previously UNSEEN: bit.ly/2X3m7x2 (8/8)
#WebbInstruments #UnfoldTheUniverse

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More from @SpaceTelescope

9 Jun
Science discoveries made by @NASAWebb are expected to revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos and our origins within the universe! Dive into what Webb could reveal about the cosmos: bit.ly/3wJ1r9U Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser. #AAS238 (1/9)
Mission goals for Webb include: Search for the first galaxies that formed in early universe; study the evolution of galaxies; observe star formation; and measure physical and chemical properties and investigate the potential for life in planetary systems. #AAS238 (2/9)
Webb is equipped with specialized instruments that detect infrared wavelengths, the light just beyond the visible spectrum. Infrared radiation can penetrate dense molecular clouds, whose dust blocks most of the light detectable by Hubble. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech #AAS238 (3/9)
Read 9 tweets
9 Jun
Research telescopes include scientific instruments that record light precisely. The extreme sensitivity and precision of @NASAWebb’s four instruments support its unprecedented scientific power: bit.ly/3fIQm35 Credit: NASA. #AAS238 (1/7)
Each of Webb’s four instruments is like a Swiss army knife of specialized components, with multiple ways of observing. All four can be used for investigations of the wide variety of objects that make up the universe, including planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies. #AAS238 (2/7)
Webb’s instruments are housed in the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), which is situated behind the primary mirror on the cold side of the telescope where it is protected by the sunshield. Credit: NASA and STScI. #AAS238 (3/7)
Read 7 tweets
8 Jun
The bigger the telescope, the better its vision. @NASAWebb is the largest telescope NASA has ever sent into space. Webb is designed to be as light as possible, but still measure large enough to achieve its scientific goals: bit.ly/3icJRa4 Credit: NASA. #AAS238 (1/10) Image
Webb’s key components include an enormous primary mirror to collect infrared light, a supersized sunshield to keep the telescope cold, and four scientific instruments to conduct its ambitious science operations. Credit: NASA. #AAS238 (2/10) Image
Webb’s primary mirror towers more than two stories high. For the telescope to fit in the launch vehicle, an Ariane 5 rocket, it must fold origami-style to about a quarter of its full size, then unfold on its way to its orbit location. #AAS238 (3/10)
Read 10 tweets

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