# James Webb Space Telescope general discussion thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [December 25, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624 "2021-12-25T13:18:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 28
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/541 "2022-05-27T21:29:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Though Hubble itself did have a little bit of near infrared capability, and I’m pretty sure that it and Webb overlap in their frequency ranges. They do. Webb sees into the red part of the visible spectrum. Looking it up, I find that Webb can see up to .6 microns and Hubble down to 2.5 microns. The visible spectrum has a low limit at about .7 microns ---
**Author:** ![kwintenstraler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kwintenstraler/32/10698_2.png) [@kwintenstraler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwintenstraler)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/542 "2022-06-02T13:02:07Z")
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will release its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on 12 July 2022 > **[Looking ahead to Webb telescope's first images](https://phys.org/news/2022-06-webb-telescope-images.html)** > > The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will release its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on 12 July 2022. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/543 "2022-06-05T01:29:26Z")
The JWST website is **finally** showing that 1 out of the 17 instruments modes has been completed for the commissioning process. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2022, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/544 "2022-06-08T21:01:38Z")
2 now !! The excitement is tangible. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/545 "2022-06-08T21:08:36Z")
We’re all anxious to see results, but slow and careful deployment is the way to go. The JWST should have a much longer than anticipated service life. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/546 "2022-06-08T23:01:54Z")
JWST mirror hit by micrometeoroid. Fortunately no damage of any significance. > **[Webb telescope's massive mirror hit by micrometeoroid | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/08/world/webb-telescope-mirror-impact-scn/index.html)** > > A segment of the James Webb Space Telescope's giant mirror was hit by a micrometeroid in May, according to an update from NASA. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/547 "2022-06-10T19:34:53Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > JWST mirror hit by micrometeoroid it was the 5th one apparently (biggest … so far) Also … 2 more instrument modes completed today !! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/548 "2022-06-11T05:24:29Z")
If a meteor of any size hits the Webb Telescope and knocks it tumbling madly off into the void, but nobody is there to hear it, does it make any noise? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/549 "2022-06-11T12:57:00Z")
Isn’t that disturbing? Getting hit once a month, and surely some of them will be bigger. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/550 "2022-06-11T13:13:37Z")
Is there more “debris” present at Lagrange points, such that by stationing the JWST there, it is likely to be hit by “micrometeoroids” often? (Quotes, because 1. If it’s not in Earth orbit, is it really a meteoroid? 2. I’m not sure what constitutes debris at a Lagrange point, but I suppose anything with mass will do.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/551 "2022-06-11T13:17:08Z")
At one of the unstable points, the concentration of debris shouldn’t be any higher than anywhere else in space. And it shouldn’t be a concern: The prefix “micro” is there for a reason. Eventually, I suppose, the cumulative effect would be to degrade the optics, but that’s not expected to be significant for a longer time than the instrument’s lifetime (which is primarily limited by stationkeeping propellant). ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/552 "2022-06-11T13:27:37Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Is there more “debris” present at Lagrange points At L4 and L5, probably, those are the areas that actually tend to collect things. At L1, L2, or L3, there is not really any sort of “attractive force” towards the point. They are like being at the top of a hill, where L4 and L5 are like being in a valley. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/553 "2022-06-11T13:28:08Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Isn’t that disturbing? Getting hit once a month, and surely some of them will be bigger. The telescope was designed in part with such impacts in mind. This is from 2017: (scroll down to the last question) > We know Webb will get struck by micrometeoroids during its lifetime, and we have taken that into account in its design and construction. We sized Webb’s main mirror so that even after years of little impacts it will still have the reflective surface area and quality necessary to do the science. We even did tests on the ground that emulated micrometeoroid impacts to demonstrate what will happen to the mirrors in space. > **[How Hardy Is Webb? A Q&A About the Toughness of NASA’s Webb Telescope - NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/universe/how-hardy-is-webb-a-qa-about-the-toughness-of-nasas-webb-telescope/)** > > Just how resilient does a space telescope have to be to survive both Earth’s environment and the frigid, airless environment of space? Paul Geithner, the ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/554 "2022-06-11T13:44:48Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > At L4 and L5, probably, those are the areas that actually tend to collect things. If it’s debris that’s collected at that point, the impact velocity will be significantly lower than stuff that’s in an ordinary solar orbit. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/555 "2022-06-11T14:06:28Z")
Stuff doesn’t really collect at the point, but rather orbit around it. Impacts between objects that are co-moving along with the Lagrange point will probably have a bit less relative velocity than random collisions between stuff, but still enough to put out an eye. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/556 "2022-06-11T17:52:49Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > If it’s not in Earth orbit, is it really a meteoroid? Yes. “Earth orbit” plays no role whatsoever in the definition of a meteoroid. > **[Meteoroid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid)** > > A meteoroid (/ˈmiːtiərɔɪd/) is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. > Meteoroids are distinguished as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than meteoroids are classified as micrometeoroids or space dust. Most are fragments from comets or asteroids, whereas others are collision impact debris ejected from bodies such as the Moon or Mars. > A meteor or shooting star is the visible passage of a meteoroid, comet... ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/557 "2022-06-11T17:59:36Z")
Micrometeroids frequently hit objects in space, but I believe that a good part of the JWST’s vulnerability is its very large mirror that is completely open to space and unprotected. The Hubble mirror, by contrast, can only be hit by particles directly entering the telescope housing and moving parallel to its length, and even so it has a protective door that can be closed during times of higher risk. I imagine that micrometeroids occasionally hit the ISS, but are generally too small to do much if any damage. Fortunately, as noted, the JWST was designed to tolerate the expected small degradations from micrometeroid impacts. Though the one that knocked a mirror segment out of alignment sounds like an unusually big one. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/558 "2022-06-11T18:12:35Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > imagine that micrometeroids occasionally hit the ISS Yes. > **[Micrometeoroid Hit ISS Cupola –](http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-debris/kessler-syndrome/micrometeroid-hit-iss-cupola/)** ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/559 "2022-06-12T14:55:55Z")
Great! Ignorance fought! ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/560 "2022-06-15T16:16:07Z")
Another 2 instrument modes checked out !! 6 done, 11 to go … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624.md?page=29)