NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a remarkable image of Westerlund 1, the largest remaining super star cluster in the Milky Way, located 12,000 light-years from Earth. Using its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), the telescope was able to penetrate the thick layers of dust and gas surrounding the cluster, providing astronomers with unprecedented insight into its population of massive stars.
Stainless steel plays a crucial role in various parts of the JWST, such as:
- Mould Canister: Stainless steel is used to hold the beryllium powder pressed into the telescope’s primary mirror.
- Cryocooler Tubing: Stainless steel tubing is used to cool the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) detectors to a temperature of 6 K.
- Cryocooler Tower Assembly (CTA): The CTA, a sophisticated refrigerator, also incorporates stainless steel.
- Cryocooler Compressor Assembly: Gold-plated stainless steel tubes connect the CTA to its compressor assembly.
- Test Chamber Railing System and Supports: Stainless steel was chosen for these parts due to its resilience under extreme temperatures in the clean room environment.
The JWST, launched on December 25, 2021, is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. Its primary mirror is made from beryllium, a strong, lightweight metal, enabling the telescope to peer back in time to just 180 million years after the Big Bang.
By utilising the NIRCam, researchers were able to observe stars in Westerlund 1 that are up to 100,000 times the mass of the Sun. The study, led by Amy Simon from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, is part of the Extended Westerlund 1 and 2 Open Clusters Survey (EWOCS). This research, published in The Astrophysical Journal, predicts that more than 1,500 stars in Westerlund 1 are likely to explode as supernovae within the next 40 million years.
Here's a science joke to finish off with: Two atoms walk into a pub and walk up the the stainless steel bar. One says to the other, "I think I've lost an electron!"... "Are you sure?" says the other, "Yes,", says the first..."I'm positive!"
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(note: image used is ai generated and not from the James Webb Space Telescope)