Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2022 March 19
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                           2MASS J17554042+6551277
                  Image Credit : [3]NASA, [4]STScI, [5]JWST

   Explanation: [6]2MASS J17554042+6551277 doesn't exactly roll off the
   tongue but that's the name, a coordinate-based catalog designation, of
   the star centered in this sharp field of view. [7]Fans of the distant
   universe should get used to its spiky appearance though. The
   diffraction pattern is created by the 18 hexagonal mirror segments of
   the [8]James Webb Space Telescope. After unfolding, the segments have
   now been adjusted to [9]achieve a diffraction limited alignment at
   infrared wavelengths while [10]operating in concert as a single 6.5
   meter diameter primary mirror. The resulting image taken by Webb's
   NIRcam demonstrates their precise alignment is the best [11]physics
   will allow. 2MASS J17554042+6551277 is about 2,000 light-years away and
   well within our own galaxy. But the galaxies scattered across the
   background of the Webb telescope alignment evaluation image are likely
   billions of light-years distant, far [12]beyond the Milky Way.

                       Tomorrow's picture: day = night
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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply.
              [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2203/telescope_alignment_evaluation_image_labeled.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.stsci.edu/
   5. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html
   6. http://simbad.harvard.edu/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=2MASS+J17554042+6551277
   7. https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/features/jwstArt/unfoldTheUniverse.html
   8. https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/03/17/webb-begins-multi-instrument-alignment/
   9. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-webb-reaches-alignment-milestone-optics-working-successfully
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiGx8xv6xjE
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150507.html
  12. https://webb.nasa.gov/content/science/index.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220318.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220319
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220320.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/