A mistake on the Webb telescope just led to a surprising discovery
Sometimes, mistakes in telescope observations can lead to accidental discoveries.
That's what happened recently when scientists tried to use the new James Webb Space Telescope — an observatory run by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency — to look at a known space rock in the main asteroid belt. Instead, they found a new asteroid, thought to be the smallest object Webb has detected so far.
"Our results show that even 'failed' Webb observations can be scientifically useful, if you have the right mindset and a little bit of luck," said Thomas Müller, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany, in a statement.
You May Also Like
The finding demonstrates the telescope's exceptional sensitivity at seeing the cosmos at infrared wavelengths. The researchers were able to spot the tiny 300 to 650-foot photobomber — about the size of a flying football field — from more than 72 million miles away. If the asteroid is confirmed, it could mean the telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument will be a handy tool for astronomers to hunt for other small asteroids in the future, something it wasn't specifically designed to do.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The results were published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics this week, and they will likely lead to future dedicated studies using the telescope to observe asteroids less than a half-mile wide.
But when NASA helped break the news of the discovery Monday, some people were confused and disappointed that the agency didn't showcase a photo of the asteroid itself, rather than an illustration.
Want more science and tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter today.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"This was a lucky, unexpected detection of a very tiny, faint dot of light from images originally designed for a different purpose," NASA said on Twitter. "It was difficult to make that dot clearly visible against the extreme background noise of the imagery."
Millions of space rocks orbit the sun. The majority are in the main asteroid belt, a doughnut-shaped region between Mars and Jupiter. So-called "small asteroids," though, on par with this one, haven't been studied as much simply because they're harder to detect.
The main belt sits roughly on the same imaginary plane as Earth's orbit around the sun. The team's measurements were some of the first used on the telescope targeting this shared plane. Scientists speculate that even short Webb observations close to this plane will always include a few asteroids, most of which will be previously unknown objects.
Astronomers want to study asteroids of all sizes to better understand how the solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago. Many scientists focus their research on developing computer models to simulate how this space neighborhood came to be. More data from newly-discovered asteroids could improve their models and help discern how the solar system evolved over time.
"Repeats of these observations are in the process of being scheduled," said Bryan Holler, a Webb scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, in a statement. "We are fully expecting new asteroid interlopers in those images."
Topics NASA
Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds. Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series. Send space tips and story ideas to [email protected] or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on X at @elishasauers.
