Photobombing Asteroid Unleashes Webb Telescope’s True Potential!

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has started its operations recently and has already faced some challenges.

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The research team was conducting a calibration experiment on the previously-discovered asteroid (10920) 1998 BC1.

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The team discovered that the asteroid seemed to be brighter than it should and thought it was a technical failure.

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Upon combining the JWST data with data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, they found out that a small asteroid had sneaked into the image.

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The new asteroid was only about 100-200 meters long and had escaped detection because of its small and dark nature.

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This lucky accident showed the JWST's incredible sensitivity and its ability to catalogue more asteroids of this size that were not previously detected.

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The result highlights the capabilities of the JWST's Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) to serendipitously detect previously undetectable asteroids in the main belt.

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The team is expecting new asteroid interlopers in future observations and repeats of these observations are being scheduled.

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