Two PhD students from Sydney have restored the sharp vision of the world’s most powerful space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, using an innovative AI-driven software solution called AMIGO. The software corrected image blurring caused by faint electronic distortions in the telescope’s infrared camera detector, achieving what would have required a costly astronaut repair mission.
Researchers at the University of Sydney developed AMIGO to fix the distortion, allowing astronomers to capture ultra-high-resolution images of stars and exoplanets without needing physical repairs. The team used advanced simulations and neural networks to digitally correct the images, fully restoring the telescope’s performance.
The results have been striking, with the James Webb Space Telescope delivering its clearest images yet. This includes direct images of a dim exoplanet and a red-brown dwarf orbiting the nearby star HD 206893. The software solution has also improved the precision of the telescope’s Aperture Masking Interferometer (AMI), enabling researchers to probe deeper and clearer than before.
The achievement marks a groundbreaking example of Australian innovation in space science, with the team celebrating their success with tattoos of the instrument they repaired on their arms.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251027023748.htm