Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

September 22 (Xinhua)-- the mid-infrared detector (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope stopped using an observation mode because of a component failure, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said Tuesday.

It is reported that the mid-infrared detector equipped with the Weber Telescope can see light waves invisible to the naked eye, which is helpful to observe the detailed characteristics of celestial bodies such as newborn stars. Over the past two months, Weber has sent back a series of amazing deep space images, thanks to mid-infrared detectors, such as the use of mid-infrared detectors to take pictures of the famous Stephen Quintet galaxy cluster.

But the Weber Telescope team found at the end of August that the "increased friction" of a wheel used by the mid-infrared detector to switch observation wavelengths affected one of the four observation modes of the mid-infrared detector. On September 6, the team summoned personnel to form an abnormal event review committee and decided to suspend the use of this observation mode, and technicians are currently trying to find a solution.

Other modes of the mid-infrared detector are normal and can continue to be observed, and other components of the entire Weber telescope are working well, NASA said. The Weber Telescope is equipped with four instruments and has 17 observation modes, each of which can be used to find different kinds of information in the universe. For example, the various observation modes of the mid-infrared detector in the medium resolution spectrum can be used to analyze the molecules in the planet-forming debris disk, while other modes of the telescope are more suitable for observing quasars or taking detailed pictures of distant galaxies.

This is not the first time the Weber telescope has had a problem since it entered its intended orbit at the end of last year. It is not surprising that the Weber Telescope was hit by a micrometeoroid in June, causing damage to one of the mirrors. Although the telescope is worth 10 billion dollars, being hit by space debris is also inevitable in space travel.

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