The James Webb Telescope is one of the coldest objects in space

The NASA and European Space Agency space telescope has only recently been heated to operating temperature.

That was in the beginning of April James Webb Telescope for operating temperature refrigerated. The telescope’s coldest instrument, MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), was measured using a Refrigerant to temperature minus 267 degrees Celsius (6.4 K) Brought.

This means that the instrument, which will be used for monitoring in the infrared light spectrum, is only marginally warmer than the coldest and most emptiest places in space, where the temperature is 270 degrees below zero amount to, Popular Mechanics . says.

But for MIRI to work, it has to be cold. The lower temperatures suppress infrared emissions and also help avoid the dark currents caused by the vibration of atoms in the telescope’s detectors.

Sun sails also have a powerful cooling effect

A freezer was required to cool MIRI, and so was the size of a tennis court sun sail of the telescope is already causing frosty temperatures. Whoever 5 layers It contains a vacuum that acts as an insulator. Passive cooling alone has increased the temperature of the space telescope, which is about 1.5 million km from Earth minus 238 degrees Celsius lowered.

The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth is negative by comparison 53.7 °C Almost warm. She was born in July 21 1983 At the Russian research station Vostok It is measured in East Antarctica.

James Webb is scheduled to begin regular operations in the summer. Until then, the instruments must be calibrated and images tested.

round 10 billion dollars The expensive James Webb telescope follows the telescope Hubblewhich has been in use for more than 30 years and is set to herald a new era in stargazing.