James Webb Space Telescope's optics explained by NASA

Learn how the James Webb Space Telescope will see the universe with this overview of its optic system.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center

Michael Starobin (KBRwyle): Lead Producer
Michael McClare (KBRwyle): Producer
Michael McClare (KBRwyle): Videographer
Michael McClare (KBRwyle): Lead Video Editor
Rich Melnick (KBRwyle): Video Editor
Jonathan North (KBRwyle): Animator
Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBRwyle): Animator
Chris Meaney (KBRwyle): Animator
Walt Feimer (KBRwyle): Animator
Krystofer Kim (KBRwyle): Animator
Michael Lentz (KBRwyle): Animator
Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET): Technical Support

[kendrickkelly]

Saw the use of beryllium in the Webb Telescope mirrors...Fell down the rabbit hole looking at how beryllium is mined/refined down to how the materials is used the in the telescope.

Bless those frickin' engineers and their math for creating the mirrors with room-temperature anti-defects that align when the damn thing cools down at L2.

So jealous of the Webb Telescope team!

[unick]

3:32 there is boble disturbance on every mirror, its visible here - for everyone with eyes.

[DanFrederiksen]

Other than you could stand the mirror up and use a custom fairing and launch it as a single piece, any particular reason it couldn't be made as a single large mirror and the folding lobes cut off instead of the hex cell design? and could you use a rectangular mirror for anisotropic resolution and gain super resolution by spinning it.
But ultimately (before UFO disclosure that is) it stands to reason that it is vastly superior to simply generate the mirrors in space and make them arbitrarily large. As in 100meter plus.

[amirmoezz]

Data, data, data, I want some results, I must see the the fruits of human race engineering.

[invinciblesummer]

Totally smart and sexy ... and the telescope is pretty neat too.

[frankdalla]

10 billion dollars. It would take just under 32 years without stopping to count to one billion dollars. Thats how much money that is. America's National Deficit is now about 28 trillion dollars. Questions?

[VincentAnzalone]

Ya but, where's she in such a hurry to walk to??