Gold plating on the mirrors of James Webb Space Telescope.
Three interesting reason behind gold plating on the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope
The first is reflectivity.
Every day mirror use silver or Aluminum as their reflective materials.
Silver reflects about 95% infrared light and Aluminum 85%
But gold does the best job.
It reflects 99% of the infrared light, Gold is a highly reflective metal, reflecting both light and radiation.
The Wavelength region in which Webb Space telescope works.
The Second reason is that gold inert.
It doesn't react easily with other chemical elements in space ensuring it won't tarnish quickly.
Bulk gold is chemically inert and is generally regarded as a poor catalyst.
The third reason is gold is an excellent thermal conductor.
It helps dissipate any heat generated by Webb's instruments, preventing damage to the mirrors.
Gold reflects infrared radiation with wavelengths above 0.7 µm as well as any other metal, keeping electronics cool.
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