The diffraction spikes so familiar to us in space images are an intrinsic property of the telescope. Reflecting telescopes have two mirrors: a large primary and a smaller secondary. Light hits the ...

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Ever notice something about those images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope — other than the fact that they look absolutely incredible, that is? If they felt somehow different from other deep ...

Visual demonstration of the performance of the diffraction grating. The zeroth order transmission refers to light that goes straight through the grating without undergoing diffraction (which should be ...

Just how big would a telescope need to be to actually see an alien world in detail? The James Webb Telescope just took a photo of a newly discovered exoplanet. Exciting stuff but the raw image just ...

The rapid evolution of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) is reshaping space telescope design by offering lightweight, compact and high-performance alternatives to conventional optical systems. These ...

The powerful James Webb Space Telescope captured a starburst complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud, with stunning results. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate ...