OT: The Sunshields and the Mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope Have Been Successfully Deployed

[MURF87]

Did it. Let me see if I can post MY picture of that Orion Nebula.

That's why I always tell new guys to get binoculars and see if they like sitting outside in the cold before they spend $1K+ on a scope.

Finally figured it out. Orion, Refractors - Small one for tracking, M31, M81 & M82. Best by far is Orion. Great detail if you look close. (If I do say so myself) LOL.

Excellent! I have a 5.25 in Celestron NexStar GoTo. Unfortunately it’s been tucked away collecting dust lately due to other things in life. I was part of the Charlottesville Astronomical Society for a number of years when I lived in central VA at Lake Anna. Nice dark skies there in my neighborhood. On clear nights could even pick up Andromeda Galaxy with the corner of my naked eye. And yes, when we’d do outreach sessions with the public people couldn’t believe they were looking at Saturn - thought it was fake! One of the great things about being part of the Charlottesville club was our access and use of the UVA observatory. Was pretty neat to look through the lens of a scope, which at the time of its delivery to UVA was the second largest scope in the US!

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Yeah I checked yesterday and had to do the km/sec into mph. Was doing like 770mph at the time. I guess the best plan is to coast it to L2 to minimize use of propellent to stop . I'm assuming it's still leaving Earth's gravity well.

Correct. It is continuously slowing so when it reaches L2 it won't have to use too much fuel in a corrective/stabilizing burn. The launch was so precise, which even NASA was surprised by, that they said the amount of fuel on board will be enough to keep the scope active for 20 years. The original estimates were five to ten years, so the launch was efficacious inasmuch as fuel preservation will keep us in the game longer. When it hits L2 I imagine its speed can be measured in feet/second, as measured from earth (I think).

 

[RUScrew85]

Excellent! I have a 5.25 in Celestron NexStar GoTo. Unfortunately it’s been tucked away collecting dust lately due to other things in life. I was part of the Charlottesville Astronomical Society for a number of years when I lived in central VA at Lake Anna. Nice dark skies there in my neighborhood. On clear nights could even pick up Andromeda Galaxy with the corner of my naked eye. And yes, when we’d do outreach sessions with the public people couldn’t believe they were looking at Saturn - thought it was fake! One of the great things about being part of the Charlottesville club was our access and use of the UVA observatory. Was pretty neat to look through the lens of a scope, which at the time of its delivery to UVA was the second largest scope in the US!

Funny you should say that about Saturn. The first thing I saw out of my Nexstar Goto 9 was Saturn (It was the brightest "star" in the sky) when setting it up for the first time so it could orient itself.

I called @MrsScrew and her youngest daughter out to see. The daughter also thought is was fake.

I also remember being out in Moab IIRC and saw not only the Milky Way but also Andromeda with averted vision. I think I saw Andromeda anyway.

 

[RUScrew85]

Correct. It is continuously slowing so when it reaches L2 it won't have to use to much fuel in a corrective/stabilizing burn. The launch was so precise, which even NASA was surprised by, that they said the amount of fuel on board will be enough to keep the scope active for 20 years. The original estimates were five to ten years, so the launch was efficacious inasmuch as fuel preservation will keep us in the game longer. When it hits L2 I imagine its speed can be measured in feet/second, as measured from earth (I think).

I'll bet you're right.

 

[robcac26]

Funny you should say that about Saturn. The first thing I saw out of my Nexstar Goto 9 was Saturn (It was the brightest "star" in the sky) when setting it up for the first time so it could orient itself.

I called @MrsScrew and her youngest daughter out to see. The daughter also thought is was fake.

I also remember being out in Moab IIRC and saw not only the Milky Way but also Andromeda with averted vision. I think I saw Andromeda anyway.

First things I saw in my Orion XT6 were Jupiter and Saturn, and I'm usually pretty stoic but that was a breathtaking moment. I took my telescope down to my mother's house for Christmas that year and showed my family Saturn, and my mom thought it was fake too, she thought I had it printed and attached to the inside of the eyepiece haha. The first time I saw Andromeda (or really just its bright core) was a similar moment. It was just a fuzz ball but it blew my mind that I was able to see another galaxy, especially when realizing it's 2.5 million lightyears away.

 

[angmo]

Do any of you space nerds know anything about birth charts or are you just playing with your telescopes?🤓
I’m trying to find an astrologer to read mine.
Wrong thread?

You're outgoing but like to keep to yourself. People think you're funny, but feel uncomfortable confiding in you. This year will be lucky for you, but not without its challenges. You find making money easy, but losing it even easier.

There you go sucker...You can owe me.

 

[Bleem Phuppert]

Funny you should say that about Saturn. The first thing I saw out of my Nexstar Goto 9 was Saturn (It was the brightest "star" in the sky) when setting it up for the first time so it could orient itself.

I called @MrsScrew and her youngest daughter out to see. The daughter also thought is was fake.

I also remember being out in Moab IIRC and saw not only the Milky Way but also Andromeda with averted vision. I think I saw Andromeda anyway.

You may have thought you saw something. But what you saw was the planet, Venus.

 

[MrsScrew]

my mom thought it was fake too, she thought I had it printed and attached to the inside of the eyepiece haha.

That's exactly what my daughter thought. She looked inside the eyepiece then went to the front of the scope to see if a picture was taped in there.

 

[611george]

I would like to commend those that have posted in this thread for the past week or so. There has not been a single Uranus joke. I don't have all of the statistics but this may be some sort of record considering the subject matter. Congratulations.

 

[Bleem Phuppert]

There has not been a single Uranus joke.

That's what she said.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

At the time of this posting (1:45 PM, 1/19/22), Webb is traveling at the speed of a passenger jet (approx. 1 mile every 7 seconds) and to get to L2 only has the equivalent of two trips around the earth (50k miles). It's getting close, about 3 days away from L2. Part of the hot side is increasing, the cold side is decreasing nicely. The mirrors have been moved into position from their launch configuration, and the calibrations will begin soon and will take about five months to complete. Things are going well so far.

 

[RUScrew85]

HA! Seen elsewhere on the net. Funny first image from Webb Telescope:

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Cold-side temp is dropping, warm side is increasing ever so slightly. Necessary, and as planned.

 

[611george]

Cold side is dropping, warm side is increasing ever so slightly. Normal.

Like the McDLT of telescopes.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

Orbital Insertion Burn a Success, Webb Arrives at L2

 

[SkilletHead2]

My nephew is a major league astrophysicist and we do research with him and an image-maker/outreach person he works with on research on how people look at space images and what they got out of them (what they learn, etc.). Huge fun and he knows all the great restaurants to go to in Boston.

We did a study recently on what kinds of images people like the most, using data from the Astronomy Picture of the Day.

He once asked me how you can tell the difference between an astronomer and an astrologist. I said, "I'm game. What?" Answer: The astrologist can tell you where the constellations are.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

 

[RutgersRaRa]

View embedded media

I saw a vid a couple of days ago of the images produced by the 18 mirrors, and how they need to bring the mirrors into alignment to form one image. It reminded me of Invisaligns (teeth straighteners) where each movement impacts the others and where sequencing is paramount. But when the mirrors are aligned and the data is processed, it’s gonna be something.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

This is a test image.........a TEST image (used as part of the science instrument set-up)..
the six-pointed items are stars...... EVERYTHING else is a galaxy....... think about that... Another GALAXY....

T-6 days to the first official science image...........

 

[angmo]

This is a test image.........a TEST image (used as part of the science instrument set-up)..
the six-pointed items are stars...... EVERYTHING else is a galaxy....... think about that... Another GALAXY....

T-6 days to the first official science image...........

Cool. Hopefully the micro meteors don't ruin this party. I saw it got hit by a largish one but took it like a champ.

 

[RUaMoose]

This is a test image.........a TEST image (used as part of the science instrument set-up)..
the six-pointed items are stars...... EVERYTHING else is a galaxy....... think about that... Another GALAXY....

T-6 days to the first official science image...........

No different than the Hubble Deep Field

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

No different than the Hubble Deep Field

exactly..........
except it's a non-science TEST shot (simply for alignment)........
that's the point....... huge...

 

[611george]

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/main_image_deep_field_smacs0723-5mb.jpg

 

[anon_ivydyf0amkzay]

That’s a lot of galaxies…

 

[Purple-Ed]

Gun to my head - we are not alone.

 

[robcac26]

Wow great depiction of gravitational lensing, crazy how the light bends, makes it look like the camera was moving.

 

[ashokan]

Those space pics always remind me of licorice candies

 

[RUScrew85]

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/main_image_deep_field_smacs0723-5mb.jpg

Was this pic supposed to include gravitational lensing? Because the "circularly smeared" galaxies in the center are either that or rotation of the field during one of the stacked (if stacked) images. I mention stacked because that might explain the non-smeared galaxies elsewhere in the image (again assuming no grav lensing).

Or quite possibly (likely) what they are doing is so far removed form my experience that none of my experience applies.

And, space is really, really big.

 

[RUScrew85]

Gun to my head - we are not alone.

Basically impossible to be alone. But not impossible at all for there to be very few of what we would consider intelligent life.

Making intelligence is really hard. Making goo, amoebas, plants and animals much less so.

Gun to my head. Not enough intelligence to ever encounter in time and space. But there's almost certainly some grey and green guys out there somewhere (or somewhen).

 

[pmvon]

exactly..........
except it's a non-science TEST shot (simply for alignment)........
that's the point....... huge...

What do you mean by this? That these are test shots? Just to see if the camera will work?

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

I heard that after adding UCLA and USC, the Big 10 is exploring options for adding schools from other galaxies.

Scarlet Jerry

 

[robcac26]

I heard that after adding UCLA and USC, the Big 10 is exploring options for adding schools from other galaxies.

Scarlet Jerry

Uh oh, can't wait for whoever was complaining about the cost of going to away games at UCLA and USC finds out about this!

 

[rutgersguy1]

 

[Jm0513]

Gun to my head - we are not alone.

 

[Jm0513]

Basically impossible to be alone. But not impossible at all for there to be very few of what we would consider intelligent life.

Making intelligence is really hard. Making goo, amoebas, plants and animals much less so.

Gun to my head. Not enough intelligence to ever encounter in time and space. But there's almost certainly some grey and green guys out there somewhere (or somewhen).

They’re not green anymore..
Now they look like this…

I should delete this before they see it

🤣

 

[tico brown]

I heard that after adding UCLA and USC, the Big 10 is exploring options for adding schools from other galaxies.

Scarlet Jerry

Groot alread has an NIL Deal with the Pistachio People.

 

[RUScrew85]

They’re not green anymore..
Now they look like this…

I should delete this before they see it

🤣

Elon will take you to Mars with him.

 

[robcac26]

Was this pic supposed to include gravitational lensing? Because the "circularly smeared" galaxies in the center are either that or rotation of the field during one of the stacked (if stacked) images. I mention stacked because that might explain the non-smeared galaxies elsewhere in the image (again assuming no grav lensing).

Or quite possibly (likely) what they are doing is so far removed form my experience that none of my experience applies.

And, space is really, really big.

Yep, it's gravitational lensing.

Here are the rest of the photos released today. The one of the Carina Nebula looks like a painting. Click the drop-down menu to see other objects, and you can click the images to see much larger versions.

 

[Jm0513]

Gun to my head - we are not alone.

I saw this earlier..lol

(I know Alex Jones is a loon, but the Meme made me laugh.)