The JWST is having a problem. One of its instruments, the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS,) has actually gone offline. The NIRISS performs spectroscopy on exoplanet environments, to name a few things.
Its been offline since Sunday. January 15th due to an interactions mistake.
The internal interactions error led to the software timing out. Theres no indication that the instrument is harmed in any method, and the rest of the spacecraft is operating typically.
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NIRISS complements the other instruments on the JWST by offering “distinct observational capabilities in between 0.6 and 5? m,” according to the Space Telescope Science Institute. Its used to examine exoplanet atmospheres, to spot very first light, aka the Era of Recombination, and to spot exoplanets. It can also catch wide-field instruments to study populations of objects and has numerous filters that increase its flexibility. It can likewise solve the light from objects that are very close together.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) built the NIRISS as part of its contribution to the JWST objective. It also built the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS), which is physically integrated with the NIRISS however is a separate instrument.
Its uncertain when the instrument will be back online, but its bad news for observers. Observing time on the JWST remains in high demand, and its not clear how this hold-up will impact observations.
This isnt the first incident the JWST has needed to deal with. It went into safe mode for about three weeks in December due to a software fault in its mindset control system. The telescopes MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) was likewise quickly non-operational.
Those concerns were handled and fixed. Ideally, this one will be, too.
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One of its instruments, the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS,) has gone offline. The NIRISS carries out spectroscopy on exoplanet environments, among other things.
NIRISS complements the other instruments on the JWST by supplying “special observational capabilities in between 0.6 and 5? It can likewise capture wide-field instruments to study populations of items and has multiple filters that increase its flexibility.