via Tumblr http://bit.ly/1pKkb5F James Webb Space Telescope golden mirror revealed and it is spectacular. ~ “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ― Søren Kierkegaard

Here’s a view from overhead of the golden James Webb Space Telescope, with its secondary mirror booms stowed. This is the position the secondary mirror will be in during launch. Preparations are being done to rotate the telescope in order to install the flight instrument module behind the primary mirror.

JWST’s mirrors are covered in a microscopically thin layer of gold, which optimizes them for reflecting infrared light, which is the primary wavelength of light this telescope will observe.

Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Chris Gunn #nasagoddard #jwst by nasagoddard