Let's break down the damage caused by the micrometeorite.
A tiny rock fragment drifting through space may seem insignificant. That is until it collides with the new James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) main mirror.
In case you missed it, NASA announced that the revolutionary telescope was hit by a micrometeoroid that has impacted one of its primary mirror segments between May 23 and 25. And the damage inflicted by the micrometeoroid has produced a noticeable effect on the observatory's data.
However, this was actually something NASA anticipated while building the telescope, ensuring its engineering can perform its ambitious science mission even after many years in space.
The damage from the micrometeoroid is not expected to limit the mission's overall performance. If you want to know more about the incident, make sure you watch the video embedded above. In it, Anton Petrov breaks down the damage that the telescope's mirror has withstood from the micrometeoroid, and explores what the future might hold for the space observatory. Meanwhile, astronomers
are due to release the telescope's first views of the cosmos on July 12.
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