Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Release Date: January 13, 2011
The primary mirror segments of the Webb telescope, along with its secondary and tertiary mirrors, are not made of glass like most mirrors on Earth. They are made of beryllium, a relatively rare metal that is only mined and processed in one place in the western hemisphere. Behind the Webb's Mary Estacion travels to the West Desert of Utah to take a look at what it takes to extract this unique ore.
Credit: NASA, Mary Estacion (STScI)
Release Date: January 13, 2011
The primary mirror segments of the Webb telescope, along with its secondary and tertiary mirrors, are not made of glass like most mirrors on Earth. They are made of beryllium, a relatively rare metal that is only mined and processed in one place in the western hemisphere. Behind the Webb's Mary Estacion travels to the West Desert of Utah to take a look at what it takes to extract this unique ore.
Credit: NASA, Mary Estacion (STScI)
