ann2401 — Announcement
Royal Astronomical Society Group Achievement Award for JWST-MIRI Team
12 January 2024
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) has announced that their 2024 Group Achievement Award in Astronomy has been awarded to the team responsible for the design and build of Webb’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI).
MIRI was developed by a large international consortium, comprising many institutes in ten European countries and the United States, in partnership with ESA and NASA, and led by Professor Gillian Wright of the UK Astronomy Technology Centre and Professor George Rieke of the University of Arizona.
Taking advantage of Webb’s large and cold aperture, MIRI provides Webb’s unique view of the Universe at mid-infrared wavelengths. The instrument is very versatile, providing imaging, spectroscopy and coronography, with unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution, between 5 and 28 microns. The instrument is the product of more than two decades of development, which involved innovative technologies, and many engineering and managerial challenges.
Following the launch of Webb in December 2021, the performance of MIRI has been spectacular, producing ground-breaking scientific results across studies of the solar system, extrasolar planets, star formation in our own and nearby galaxies, and the properties of the most distant galaxies. These scientific achievements testify to the ambition, dedication and professionalism of Professors Wright and Rieke and of the entire MIRI Team, for which the RAS has awarded the 2024 Group Achievement Award.
Links
Contacts
Chris Evans
ESA/HST & ESA/JWST Project Scientist
ESA Office, STScI Baltimore, USA
Email: [email protected]
