NASA The Discovery Of The New Smallest Main Belt Asteroid

According to NASA The asteroid, which measures between 300 and 650 feet (100 to 200 metres) in length, is the smallest object ever observed using the telescope

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, European astronomers discovered a previously unknown asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.The asteroid, which measures between 300 and 650 feet (100 to 200 metres) in length, is the smallest object ever observed using the telescope, according to NASA.The asteroid was “serendipitously detected” by European astronomers, according to NASA, who added that more observations would be required to better characterise its nature and properties.

“We discovered a small asteroid completely unexpectedly,” said Thomas Muller, an astronomer at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics.It was discovered during the calibration of the telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which operates in the mid-infrared range.

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“Webb’s incredible sensitivity allowed us to see this roughly 100-meter object from a distance of more than 100 million kilometres,” Muller explained.Webb, which has been in operation since July, is the most powerful space telescope ever built, and it has produced unprecedented data as well as stunning images.

The $10 billion telescope’s primary goal is to study the life cycle of stars. Another major area of study is exoplanets, or planets outside of our solar system.Webb was not designed to search for small objects like the recently discovered asteroid, but Muller claims that its discovery “suggests that many new objects will be detected with this instrument.”