Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI)

MIRI's sensitive camera and spectrograph will be able to see far away in time and space, back to a time when galaxies were young.

Because the universe is expanding, the light of these galaxies has been redshifted to mid-infrared wavelengths. We need MIRI, which will operate in the 5- to 28-micron wavelength range, to see it. MIRI is also equipped with a complex coronograph, which blocks the glare of nearby bright objects to allow clear observations of faint objects.

MIRI will play a large role in Webb's mission to understand faraway galaxy formation and evolution, the physical process of star formation, and the creation of the heavier chemical elements, such as carbon, oxygen, and iron.

MIRI is being built by the MIRI Consortium, a group that consists of scientists and engineers from European countries, a team from the Jet Propulsion Lab in California, and scientists from several U.S. institutions.

Click on image to enlarge.

Click on image to enlarge.