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Meadowlark Optics - Wave Plates 6/24 LB 2024

Webb’s Exoplanet Observations Demonstrate Telescope's Strengths

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JOEL WILLIAMS, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
[email protected]

In two groundbreaking firsts, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured a direct image of an exoplanet, or a planet outside our solar system, as well as the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. The observations, made with the powerful infrared (IR) telescope, provide insight into the formation and composition of planetary objects. More broadly, they also show the advantages that space telescopes hold outside Earth’s orbit. WASP-39 b is the exoplanet on which Webb discovered the presence of carbon dioxide. The planet was itself first...Read full article

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    Published: September 2022
    Glossary
    astronomy
    The scientific observation of celestial radiation that has reached the vicinity of Earth, and the interpretation of these observations to determine the characteristics of the extraterrestrial bodies and phenomena that have emitted the radiation.
    telescope
    An afocal optical device made up of lenses or mirrors, usually with a magnification greater than unity, that renders distant objects more distinct, by enlarging their images on the retina.
    infrared
    Infrared (IR) refers to the region of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths longer than those of visible light, but shorter than those of microwaves. The infrared spectrum spans wavelengths roughly between 700 nanometers (nm) and 1 millimeter (mm). It is divided into three main subcategories: Near-infrared (NIR): Wavelengths from approximately 700 nm to 1.4 micrometers (µm). Near-infrared light is often used in telecommunications, as well as in various imaging and sensing...
    adaptive optics
    Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of atmospheric distortions. The Earth's atmosphere can cause light passing through it to experience distortions, resulting in image blurring and degradation in various optical applications, such as astronomical observations, laser communications, and imaging systems. Adaptive optics systems actively adjust the optical elements in real-time to compensate for these distortions. Key...
    BusinessastronomytelescopeJames WebbJWSTinfraredOpticsspectroscopyHubble Space TelescopeJames Webb Space TelescopeobservatoryspaceNIRCamDon McCarthyUniversity of ArizonaUniversity of ExeterArizona State UniversityMichael LineMarcia RiekeAmericasexoplanetcarbon dioxidelifeatmosphereadaptive opticsgas gianthot JupiterNIRSpecIndustry News

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