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> Although there is a slight possibility that the newly detected infrared source might be a background galaxy I understand the difficulty in what they are doin
by thebruce87m 1y ago
> Although there is a slight possibility that the newly detected infrared source might be a background galaxy
I understand the difficulty in what they are doing, but the scale of the error here is amusing. “We thing we took a picture of something, but it might have been billions of things much bigger but further away”
- dredmorbius 1y agoWith time, orbital motion should distinguish the two possibilities. Though at a 50 AU orbit around a smallish star, that might take a while.
- silverquiet 1y agoThat actually makes one wonder if it will move enough within the lifetime of JWST to actually detect that orbital motion.
- dredmorbius 1y agoThat should be calculable. Orbital mechanics, orbital period, and minimum determinable arc of JWST. Though another thought is that doppler might also reveal velocity, if a spectrum could be obtained. Since the system is nearly perpendicular to the Solar System (we're viewing it face-on rather than from the side), those shifts will be small.