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Behind the Webb: Third Light’s the Charm (Episode 17)

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Before light from the universe reaches Webb’s cameras and science instruments, it will reflect off four different mirrors — the primary, secondary, tertiary and fine-steering mirrors. The light’s third stop along its zigzagging path is the tertiary mirror, housed within the Aft Optics Subsystem at the center of Webb’s 21-foot primary mirror. Mary Estacion visits Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado, to learn about the tertiary mirror’s role and to see how the mirror’s optics are being tested.... Read More | Share it now!

Behind the Webb: Canada’s Dynamic Duo (Episode 16)

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Host Mary Estacion takes us to Ottawa, Canada, to examine the Canadian Space Agency’s contributions to the Webb telescope. The Canadian Space Agency is providing the Fine Guidance Sensor, which will enable Webb to point accurately at objects astronomers want to observe, and the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph, an instrument that will break light into colors for analysis, enabling the study of both extremely bright objects and the detection of faint objects near stars — like distant planets.... Read More | Share it now!