Global InformationFine Guidance Sensor and Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph information
Fine Guidance Sensor and Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (FGS-NIRISS) is an instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that combines a Fine Guidance Sensor and a science instrument, a near-infrared imager and a spectrograph.[1] The FGS/NIRISS was designed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and built by Honeywell[2] as part of an international project to build a large infrared space telescope with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA).[1] FGS-NIRISS observes light from the wavelengths of 0.8 to 5.0 microns.[1] The instrument has four different observing modes.[3]
Physically the FGS and NIRISS are combined, but optically they are separate with the FGS being used by the telescope to point it, whereas NIRISS is an independent science instrument.[3][4] The spectroscopic mode is capable of doing exoplanet spectroscopy.[5] The detector for NIRISS is a 2048 × 2048 pixel mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) array, where each pixel is 18 microns on a side according to the STSCi.[6] The field of view is 2.2' × 2.2' which gives a plate scale of about 0.065 arcsec/pixel.[6]
The FGS will help the telescope aim and stay pointed at whatever it is commanded to look at.[7] FGS helps provide data to the JWST Attitude Control System (ACS) and to do this it has a big sky coverage and sensitivity, to give a high probability it can find a guide star.[8]
NIRISS is designed for performing:[9][10]
- Near-infrared imaging
- Wide-field slitless spectroscopy
- Single object slitless spectroscopy
- Aperture masking interferometry
The aperture masking interferometry mode uses a seven-hole aperture masking disc, and should allow the detection of exoplanets within certain ranges of light and types of stars.[9]
The Engineering Test Unit of the FGS was delivered to NASA in 2010.[11] The flight units were planned to be delivered later after the ETU, which enabled testing with other JWST hardware.[11] The flight units of FGS/NIRISS were delivered to NASA in August 2012.[12]
Commissioning is complete as of the following dates:
- Single object slitless spectroscopy, 06/22/2022
- Wide field slitless spectroscopy, 06/14/2022
- Aperture masking interferometry, 06/14/2022
- Imaging (parallel only), 06/08/2022
- ^ a b c "The James Webb Space Telescope". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ "Canada's role in Webb". Canadian Space Agency. 18 February 2011. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ a b Doyon, René; Hutchings, John B.; Beaulieu, Mathilde; Albert, Loic; Lafrenière, David; Willott, Chris; Touahri, Driss; Rowlands, Neil; Maszkiewicz, Micheal; Fullerton, Alex W.; Volk, Kevin; Martel, André R.; Chayer, Pierre; Sivaramakrishnan, Anand; Abraham, Roberto; Ferrarese, Laura; Jayawardhana, Ray; Johnstone, Doug; Meyer, Michael; Pipher, Judith L.; Sawicki, Marcin (22 August 2012). Clampin, Mark C; Fazio, Giovanni G; MacEwen, Howard A; Oschmann, Jacobus M (eds.). The JWST Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) and Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS). Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. Vol. 8442. SPIE. pp. 84422R. Bibcode:2012SPIE.8442E..2RD. doi:10.1117/12.926578. S2CID 120702854.
- ^ "Webb's Instruments".
- ^ "ESA Science & Technology: The JWST instrument suite". sci.esa.int. ESA. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ a b "NIRISS: Near-InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph". stsci.edu. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- ^ "Canada's Contribution to the James Webb Space Telescope – Canadian Space Agency". asc-csa.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-11-27. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- ^ "FGS – Fine Guidance Sensor". stsci.edu. Space Telescope Science Institute. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ a b "JWST Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph - JWST User Documentation". jwst-docs.stsci.edu. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "JWST Pocket Guide January 2022" (PDF). stsci.edu. Space Telescope Science Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ a b Chandler, Lynn; Chicone, Ruth Ann (8 September 2010). "NASA Goddard Receives the Webb Telescope's Guiding Light from Canada" (Press release). NASA & CSA. Goddard 10-077. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010.
- ^ Gutro, Rob (13 August 2012). "Second Flight Instrument Delivered for James Webb Space Telescope". www.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012.