The Beauty of Webb's Mirrors

  • Released Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 1:47PM
  • ID: 12775
The Webb telescope’s mirrors are beautiful, but they are also amazing feats of engineering.

The Webb telescope’s mirrors are beautiful, but they are also amazing feats of engineering.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s gold-plated, beryllium mirrors are beautiful feats of engineering. From the 18 hexagonal primary mirror segments, to the perfectly circular secondary mirror, to the slightly trapezoidal tertiary mirror, each reflector went through a rigorous refinement process before it was ready to mount on the telescope. This critical formation process had to be flawless. Webb will use the mirrors to peer far back in time to capture the first luminous objects and the creation of the first stars and galaxies. Watch the video to see how Webb’s mirrors were made.

Birthed from beryllium powder, Webb's mirrors were finely crafted to create the telescope’s beautiful, golden optical element.

Webb telescope's mirrors are coated with a very thin layer of gold to improve their ability to reflect infrared light.

Webb telescope's mirrors are coated with a very thin layer of gold to improve their ability to reflect infrared light.

Webb's secondary mirror captures light from the 18 primary mirror segments and relays those images to the telescope's tertiary mirror.

Webb's secondary mirror captures light from the 18 primary mirror segments and relays those images to the telescope's tertiary mirror.

Webb’s tertiary mirror captures light from the secondary mirror and relays it to the fine-steering mirror and science instruments.

Webb’s tertiary mirror captures light from the secondary mirror and relays it to the fine-steering mirror and science instruments.

The beauty of Webb's primary mirror is apparent as it rotates past a cleanroom observation window at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

The beauty of Webb's primary mirror is apparent as it rotates past a cleanroom observation window at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

For More Information

See https://jwst.nasa.gov/mirrors.html

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Primary Mirror Segment Cryogenic Testing Image Credit: NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham

Gold-coated Engineering Design Unit (EDU) Primary Mirror Segment Image Credit: Ball Aerospace/Drew Noel

A Clear Reflection on the Webb Telescope's Secondary Mirror Image Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn

James Webb Space Telescope Tertiary Mirror Image Credit: Ball Aerospace/Ben Gallagher, Quantum Coating Incorporated

May 4th - Goddard Takes a Selfie in JWST Image Credit: John Mather