the deepest shade of cold
by Mike Fainzilber
an ambush
for the light
The James Webb Space Telescope takes images of the furthest (hence oldest) and faintest objects in the universe using infrared light. In order to do this without being blinded by infrared radiation from heat emitters (including its’ own components) it has detectors that must be hyper-cooled to temperatures of less than 7 degrees Kelvins (which is approximately -266 C or -447 F).
Further reading:
‘James Webb Space Telescope’, nasa.gov, available: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb
Author bio:
Mike Fainzilber’s day job is a biologist. He began writing haiku and senryu during the pandemic, and this side effect of COVID-19 has not worn off yet. Editors in his two spheres of activity have been known to suggest that he should best restrict his efforts to the other sphere. Find out more about Mike’s research via his lab’s website and connect with him on X/Twitter @MFainzilber.