The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has completed preparations for launch and is now ready
As part of the latest test, telescope engineerschecked with MIRI the possibility of coronagraphic imaging, which uses two different styles of masks. The goal is to deliberately block starlight from reaching the sensors as Webb observes the planets orbiting the star. Such customized masks allow scientists to directly detect exoplanets and study the dust disks around their host stars in a way never before possible.
Along with three other Webb instruments,MIRI first cooled in the shade of the telescope's tennis-court-sized sunshade to about an extreme temperature of 90 Kelvin (-183°C). But in order for the equipment to perform its intended tasks, it was necessary to reduce the temperature of the equipment to 7 Kelvin (–266.15 °C) and below. These extreme operating temperatures allow MIRI to transmit mid-infrared images and spectra with an unprecedented combination of sharpness and sensitivity.
MIRI is a camera and spectrograph thatmonitors medium and long infrared radiation from 5 to 28 microns. It also has coronagraphs, which are especially important for observing exoplanets.
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