{"id":915,"date":"2019-12-18T03:11:40","date_gmt":"2019-12-18T03:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jwst.astro.umontreal.ca\/?page_id=915"},"modified":"2022-03-07T21:35:55","modified_gmt":"2022-03-07T21:35:55","slug":"canadas-role","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jwst.astro.umontreal.ca\/?page_id=915","title":{"rendered":"Canada’s Role"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Credit: Northrop Grumman.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Webb Telescope is set to be the most important space telescope of the next decade.\u00a0<\/span>As a collaborating member of the mission, Canada has a unique opportunity to highlight its technical and scientific expertise in space astronomy through its instrument contributions to the mission and continued support to scientists from Canadian institutions working on the Webb team.<\/span><\/p>\n

In exchange for its contributions, Canada receives a guaranteed share of Webb\u2019s observing time<\/a>, ensuring immediate scientific discoveries for Canadian scientists.<\/span><\/p>\n

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CANADIAN INSTRUMENTS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Canada\u2019s contributions to the Webb Telescope, the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) and the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS), was delivered in a single unit to NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in 2012. Credit: NASA.<\/p><\/div>\n

Canada contributed both the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) and the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph(NIRISS) instrument to the Webb telescope. Both components have been packaged together into a single unit the size of a washing machine that weighs about 150 kilograms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fine Guidance Sensor<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

When a telescope wants to take clear images, it needs to point towards the object it is studying and carefully track it in the sky. Webb will move into position for observations using a system of gyroscopes, but it will also need to know where to look.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Canadian-made Fine Guidance Sensor is an infrared camera that acts as Webb\u2019s eyes. To get clear and detailed pictures of the Universe, Webb uses the FGS to lock on a star position with very high precision.<\/span><\/p>\n

The FGS and Webb\u2019s system of gyroscopes work together with the final optical piece in Webb called the fine steering mirror (FSM) to stabilise the light beam coming from deep space objects. With input from the FGS, the FSM can tip and tilt tiny amounts very quickly to correct for a jittery lightbeam without having to move the entire telescope. All scientific observations taken by Webb involve the use of the FGS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Canada\u2019s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph photographs and gathers spectra from many types of celestial objects. A spectrum shows exactly how bright an object is at many different wavelengths, or colours. This gives detailed information on the characteristics of the observed object. NIRISS uses an infrared camera sensitive to infrared light between 0.6 and 5.0 microns. Once it has captured the infrared light of an object, the light can be broken up into a spectrum using a tool called a grism which is similar to the prisms used to break up sunlight into a rainbow.<\/span><\/p>\n

NIRISS also has another mode that allows it to take an image and spectra simultaneously using a technique called interferometry which allows scientists to examine objects that are very close together.<\/span><\/p>\n

NIRISS and all the other scientific instruments will be turned on when they are needed for specific science programs. Commands to do this will be sent from the Webb Science and Operation Center at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, USA.<\/span><\/p>\n

NIRISS will be able to study the atmospheres of exoplanets and determine their composition, observe distant galaxies and examine objects that are very close together in the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

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THE CANADIAN TEAM<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Part of the Canadian JWST Team at a meeting at Honeywell in Kanata, Ontario in 2019.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Webb science project in Canada is led by:<\/span><\/p>\n