Abell 383 @TelescopeFeed

Uploaded April 2011 | Updated September 2026, 52 minutes ago

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Zooming in on the distant galaxy cluster Abell 383 where gravitational lensing distorts and magnifies the light of galaxies behind it into the arcs and arclets of light surrounding the cluster.

Source: spacetelescope.org/videos/?search=Abell+383

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$James Webb Space Telescopes NIRSpec Integral Field Units Principle Animation The NIRSpec instrument is the workhorse near-infrared spectrograph on board the James Webb Space Telescope and is provided by ESA. NIRSpec can make spectroscopic observations of complex targets in space, such as galaxies, nebulae, or crowded fields of stars or galaxies, in one single shot. One technology it uses is that of ‘integral field units’ (IFUs). Here, an image-slicing technique is used to reorganise the signal from a two-dimensional image of the sky into a set of slices. These slices are fed to a spectrograph that generates a spectrum for each pixel, where the light is split into its different wavelengths. The slices are then arranged into a data cube. This cube is a stack of many images of the same target object in space, each at a different wavelength, and provides a comprehensive overview of the whole object under study. This animation shows the path followed by light from an astronomical object as it travels through the NIRSpec components and onto the detector. ~ 0:22 min: The light from the telescope enters NIRSpec via the Pick-off Mirror ~ 0.27 min: The second flat mirror directs the beam towards the FORE optics that form an image of the sky onto the Micro Shutter Assembly (MSA). ~ 0:36 min: The light passes through a Filter Wheel Assembly (FWA) for selecting specific wavelength bands and through the refocusing mechanism (RMA). ~ 0:42 min: A sharp image of the sky is formed onto the MSA. ~ 0:49 min: With MSA shutters all closed a small portion of light passes through the now open IFU entrance aperture. ~ 0:52 min: Two small flat mirrors and two powered mirrors form a magnified image of the IFU field of view onto the “slicer” mirror. ~ 1.01 min: The slicer mirror creates 30 new beams, each for a specific fraction of the IFU field of view. ~ 1:05 min: 30 individual beams exit the IFU and enter the NIRSpec spectrometer optics. ~ 1:12 min: The collimator optics brings the beam to the Grating Wheel Assembly (GWA). ~ 1:15 min: The Grating or Prism unravels the incoming beam in all its wavelengths by dispersing it vertically. ~ 1:18 min: The Camera optical system forms 30 spectra (one for each individual IFU beam) onto the detector. Spaxel: Spatial Element (as opposed to a pixel which is a picture element). Is one 3D element of the IFU cube (x, y, wavelength). It is a spectrum at a certain point of the IFU image. Counts: The count of photons that were received by the detector for this specific wavelength. NIRSpec will allow scientists to study objects embedded in shrouds of gas and dust, to find out more about how galaxies formed and evolved, and to characterize the atmospheres of extrasolar planets to determine if water is present. Source: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2021/09/Webb_NIRSpec_integral_field_units_principle_animation$