James Webb Space Telescope practices tracking an asteroid for the 1st time

Space.com ^ | Elizabeth Howell

[BenLurkin]

NASA's next-generation space observatory successfully watched a moving asteroid as the telescope inches towards the end of its six-month commissioning period.

The successful tracking of a nearby object shows that the James Webb Space Telescope can keep a watch on solar system objects as well as the distant galaxies, stars and other faraway objects it is expected to observe in its perhaps 20-year lifespan.

asteroid named after Tenzing Norgay. The Tibetan mountaineer was one of the first two known individuals to summit Mount Everest, alongside Edmund Hillary. Coincidentally, the Webb observations took place just days before the 69th anniversary of their summit on May 29, 1953.

Webb faces a few additional challenges with tracking a moving target, NASA has said, such as needing to shift between slightly colder and hotter attitudes that may affect the delicate alignment of mirrors and instruments.

But Hammel said that the science the telescope will bring to our outer solar system is worth the trouble, especially for planets such as Uranus and Neptune that have only seen a single spacecraft visit those distant worlds so far. (Hammel was involved in the imaging campaign of the 1989 flyby of Neptune of that NASA spacecraft, Voyager 1.)

[SuperLuminal]

Hmmm...

Was hoping that JW would be available on election night to track Soros’ truckloads of ballots being rushed to vote-counting locations all around the country...

However, forgot about the temperature requirements, so facing earth is out of the question...

[Scrambler Bob]

practices tracking an asteroid for the 1st time
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OK, not a hemorrhoid.