Diffraction Spikes: A Segmented Telescope's Point Spread Function (2D)

Every image a space telescope takes carries the fingerprint of its own mirror. This 2D version puts you directly in control of the aperture: click any of the 19 hexagonal segments of a JWST-style primary mirror to open or close it, toggle a 3-strut tripod or 4-strut "+" secondary-mirror mount, and watch a genuine 2D discrete Fourier transform of that exact aperture mask compute the telescope's point spread function live on the canvas beside it — the star image you would really see, spikes and all. Remove a segment and the gap pattern changes; remove the struts and their spikes vanish; every edit is a real, recomputed Fraunhofer diffraction pattern, the same math astronomers use to predict how real telescopes image real stars.