Webb continues on its path to becoming a focused observatory. The team has successfully worked through the second and third out of seven total phases of mirror alignment. With the completion of these phases, called Segment Alignment and Image Stacking, the team will now begin making smaller adjustments to the positions of Webb’s mirrors. 

This is one of the most important phases of the telescope’s alignment. It is taking some time, maybe it may seem a lot of time to those who are anxious about seeing it at work.

But, as we already know, beautiful things take time.

In this video, we will understand more about the alignment of the JWST, and, in general, of a telescope.

Why is it so important? What does it mean to properly align a telescope? And how do we do so in the case of James Webb?

Credits: Ron Miller, Mark A. Garlick / MarkGarlick.com

Credits: Nasa/Shutterstock/Storyblocks/Elon Musk/SpaceX/ESA/ESO/ Flickr