Discovery Channel Telescope: ‘First Light’ Photos
July 21, 2012 — The Discovery Channel Telescope at Lowell Observatory, near Flagstaff, Ariz., is complete and has begun observing the cosmos with its 16-million-pixel camera. This camera is a close relative to the NSF-funded 36-million-pixel Large Monolithic Imager (LMI) that is now undergoing advanced testing and will soon be the primary imager for the DCT.
In this first light observation by the DCT, the barred spiral galaxy M109 has been imaged. M109 is around 84 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major.
(via distant-traveller)
Source: news.discovery.com
'First And Best': James Webb telescope's Miri instrument flies out to US
Europe shipped one of its big contributions to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Tuesday.
(Checked baggage: Miri went out on a standard passenger flight. Credit: BBC/Nick Morrish/British Airways)
“The Mid Infra-Red Instrument (Miri) was flown out of London Heathrow on a British Airways jet, bound for Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center. JWST will be the successor to Hubble, and aims to track down the very first stars to shine in the Universe. Miri has been built by a pan-European consortium led from the UK and Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It will play a central role in the quest to identify that ‘first light’.”
“The 120m-euro (£95m; $150m) instrument, tucked inside its protective box, was loaded on to BA flight 217 for Washington Dulles International Airport. The reportedly smooth ride across the Atlantic took about 7.5 hours. On landing, Miri was set to be driven the relatively short distance around the US capital’s ‘Beltway’ to Goddard for an unpacking on Wednesday. NASA engineers will then integrate Miri into the telescope structure prior to further testing.”
“The main container carried the flags of all the European nations that have worked on the instrument and the signatures of its principal scientist, Prof Gillian Wright, and its project manager, John Thatcher from the Astrium space company. A message read simply, ‘First and best’.”
(Europe has a heavy involvement in the development JWST, whose entire future remains somewhat in doubt at this point. If/when it flies, Europe’s contribution will be an integral part of its success. -JCB)
Astronomy news, recent research results, and pretty pictures from the media along with context, commentary, and explanations for folks who dig this sort of thing. Written by a quasi-professional astronomer affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin.
