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 __________________________________________________________________ [13]< | [14]Archive | [15]Submissions | [16]Index | [17]Search | [18]Calendar | [19]RSS | [20]Education | [21]About APOD | [22]Discuss | [23]> __________________________________________________________________ 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/