Erin M. May, PhDApr 30, 2022

Did you see the news that all of the #JWST instruments are aligned now?

Check out this comparison of one of the newly released calibration images from the MIRI instrument compared to images taken of the same region of space by the WISE and Spitzer space telescopes! Look at that resolution! So many newly resolved stars and structures! 🤩

I can't wait for all the new discoveries we'll make with JWST! #Science data starts in only a couple months!

(Image from @/AndrasGasper on birdapp)

Show threadhalcy​ Apr 30, 2022
@_astronoMay @muffinista that’s so cool! do you have any insight into why the bright stars seem to have streaks around them in the JWST image? Is that some kind of focussing / aperture thing?
Show threadErin M. May, PhDApr 30, 2022

@halcy @muffinista

this has to do with the shape of the mirrors! Since it's not a circle, a star won't look like a circle. Here's an example of what a star would look like if observed with different shape mirrors:

Show threadhalcy​ 
A friend explained to me that broadly this is the impulse response of the optical systems transfer function and jesus, fourier and systems analysis really do show up everywhere don’t they
Apr 30, 2022 at 4:04pmWeb
Show threadDoughnut Lollipop 【記録係】  Apr 30, 2022
@halcy What does the Jesus transform look like?