Space missions provide numerous insights, and the Webb Telescope is no exception. The European Space Agency recently unveiled a visualization of what this telescope appears like in outer space.
ESA's Gaia Spacecraft Captures Stunning Image of Webb Telescope
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Gaia spacecraft, primarily tasked with mapping the stars of our galaxy, made a surprising discovery on February 18, 2022. Gaia captured an image of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in space, showcasing a unique collaboration between space agencies and the advanced tracking precision of ESA's observatories.
Located approximately 1 million kilometres away from the Webb Telescope, Gaia was able to observe JWST as a moving target in its orbit. This was possible due to Gaia's exceptional ability to map the positions and motions of objects in space with extreme precision. Since JWST orbits the second Lagrange point (L2), about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, Gaia's vantage point and scanning capabilities allowed it to photograph JWST against the starry background from space.
Uli Bastian of Heidelberg University and Francois Mignard of Nice Observatory calculated the opportunity to capture an image of the Webb Telescope on February 18, 2022. The image produced was made from the data captured by Gaia's 'finder' instrument, which detects faint reflected light from objects in space. In the image inset, Webb appears as a bigger white speck, while the other three specks are cosmic ray particles picked up by Gaia's CCD camera.
While the recent search results primarily discuss JWST’s own observations of astronomical targets such as Alpha Centauri or deep field galaxies, this feat by Gaia demonstrates its capability to capture images of spacecraft like JWST itself. In addition to its primary mission of surveying over 1 billion stars to create a detailed 3D map of our Galaxy, Gaia is also capturing detailed data on asteroids, including those with moons orbiting them.
This event underscores the inter-agency scientific collaboration and the advanced tracking precision of ESA's space observatories. The Gaia spacecraft, like the Webb Telescope, orbits at Lagrange point 2, approximately 1.5 million kilometres from Earth in the direction away from the Sun. The capture of the Webb Telescope image was not a coincidence but a result of careful planning and calculations made by the Gaia mission team. The raw data of the Webb Telescope was sent back to Earth, providing a unique perspective of our universe.
The Gaia spacecraft's exceptional capability in mapping the positions and motions of objects in space allowed it to capture an image of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), demonstrating its potential to image spacecraft with precision. Beyond its primary mission of mapping stars, Gaia is also gathering detailed data on asteroids, showcasing the versatility of science, space-and-astronomy, and technology in our understanding of the universe.
