Media Advisory - Webb's Fine Guidance Sensor provides a preview

LONGUEUIL, QC, July 6, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Webb's Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) – developed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and designed to find and lock onto cosmic targets – recently captured a view of stars and galaxies that provides a tantalizing glimpse at what the telescope's science instruments will reveal in the coming weeks, months, and years.

This engineering test image captured by Canada's Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) on Webb, in 72 exposures over 32 hours in May 2022, provides a unique preview of the power of the space observatory. While Webb's four science instruments will ultimately reveal the telescope's new view of the universe, the FGS is the one element that will be used in every single Webb observation over the course of the mission's lifetime. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA, FGS team) (CNW Group/Canadian Space Agency)

FGS has always been capable of capturing imagery, but its primary purpose is to enable accurate science measurements and imaging with precision pointing. When it does capture imagery, the imagery is typically not kept: Given the limited communications bandwidth between L2 and Earth, Webb only sends data from up to two science instruments at a time. But during a week-long stability test in May, it occurred to the team that they could keep the imagery that was being captured because there was available data transfer bandwidth.

See full image and caption. (Credits: NASA, CSA, and FGS team)

Read more on our James Webb Space Telescope news page.

Media interested in speaking with a CSA expert or are looking for more information on Canada's contribution to the Webb Telescope, may contact the CSA's Media Relations Office.

Useful links:

• Webb's Fine Guidance Sensor provides a preview - James Webb Space Telescope news 
• Information kit - James Webb Space Telescope
• James Webb Space Telescope: What's New?

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SOURCE Canadian Space Agency

Canadian Space Agency, Media Relations Office, Telephone: [phone]