Webb’s Camera Captures Its First Photons of Starlight

On February 3, 2022, astronomers saw the first photons of starlight that traveled through the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and were detected by its Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument.

The detection marks the first of many steps to capture images that are at first unfocused and use them to slowly fine-tune the Webb telescope. This is the beginning of the three-month process of aligning the telescope, but so far the initial results match expectations and simulations.

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Have you ever seen a telescope take a selfie?

Well now you have!

The James Webb Space Telescope was able to snap this picture of its primary mirror using an engineering camera and a special filter inside its NIRCam instrument as primary mirror alignment tests were performed.

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A Key Detail in Your Retina Could Indicate How Healthy Your Brain Is

New research suggests that the thinning of a person's retina – the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye – in middle age is linked to cognitive performance in their early and adult life. 

While much more research is needed, the team behind this new study says the findings might one day pave the way towards a simple eye test that could help predict a person's risk for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.

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