Micrometeoroids Considered 'Future Threat' After James Webb Space Telescope Encounters Dust Strike in Space

Micrometeoroids have struck the James Webb Space Telescope for weeks, raising the potential impact of the space dust as a future threat. Despite the looming danger, the landmark observatory is reportedly preparing to release its first set of scientific images of the dust strike on Tuesday, July 12.

Tiny bits of space debris made a relatively large hit in May, prompting astronauts to re-evaluate their current knowledge regarding the frequency of the dust strike. The telescope, which is already in deep space significantly away from Earth, is unharmed of the recent yet recurring space hazards.

Yet, concerns for a future impact shrouds the $11-billion investment for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), along with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Yet, researchers have been reported to still hope the incident will transform astronomy.

Since its launch into space on 25 December 2021, James Webb is currently 1.5 million kilometers from our planet. Using the world's largest 6.5-meter-wide primary mirror, the observatory gazes in all directions of the cosmos as it was designed to mainly conduct infrared astronomy.

The development of the most powerful space-launched telescope aims to address the challenges faced by the Hubble Space Telescope, this is in terms of Webb's upgraded infrared resolution and sensitivity. Its new features will allow the detection of space objects that are relatively too old and distant for other telescopes of its kind to capture in high resolution.

Dust Strike Alert

(Photo : Photo by SpaceX via Pexels)

In a news release on Friday, July 8, Nature.com said scientists are on alert following the unprecedented dust strike, which also manifested due to the large size of the Blue Planet's strongest moving space observatory.

While the space event has been considered surprising, engineers of Webb's design phase two decades ago already knew the risks posed by micrometeoroids. As a result, its designers improved the telescope's gold-coated beryllium mirror since they knew it will be someday exposed to the space environment, particularly the meteoroid environment.

The observatory is particularly located at its observing spot at the space area known as Lagrange point 2 (L2).

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Meteoroid Environment

Meteoroids are small space particles made from ice and rock as a result of ejection from asteroids and comets, according to NASA's Office of Safety & Mission Assurance (OSMA).

Similar to the asteroid belt, consisting of drifting space rocks, located in our solar system between the planets Mars and Jupiter; the same space environment is similar to other regions of space.

With regard to the meteoroid environment, space objects in the form of micrometeoroids are compiled in space's other regions. In relation to the future threat, scientists still expect that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope could still encounter a dust strike.

This is likely as the observatory further moves into deep space and unchartered regions.

These micrometeoroids or remnant rocks were ultimately product of a long-line of explosions of high density and temperatures from the so-called Big Bang and formation of our universe approximately 13.8 billion years ago.

This event has also led to the formation of the first stars and first galaxies, according to American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

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