What is jwst: Definition and 21 Discussions

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope currently conducting infrared astronomy. As the largest optical telescope in space, it is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. This enables investigations across many fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as observation of the first stars, the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) led JWST's design and development and partnered with two main agencies: the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Maryland managed telescope development, while the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore on the Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University currently operates JWST. The primary contractor for the project was Northrop Grumman. The telescope is named after James E. Webb, who was the administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968 during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
The James Webb Space Telescope was launched on 25 December 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, and arrived at the Sun–Earth L2 Lagrange point in January 2022. The first JWST image was released to the public via a press conference on 11 July 2022.JWST's primary mirror consists of 18 hexagonal mirror segments made of gold-plated beryllium, which combined create a 6.5-meter-diameter (21 ft) mirror, compared with Hubble's 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in). This gives JWST a light-collecting area of about 25 square meters, about six times that of Hubble. Unlike Hubble, which observes in the near ultraviolet and visible (0.1 to 0.8 μm), and near infrared (0.8–2.5 μm) spectra, JWST observes a lower frequency range, from long-wavelength visible light (red) through mid-infrared (0.6–28.3 μm). The telescope must be kept extremely cold, below 50 K (−223 °C; −370 °F), such that the infrared light emitted by the telescope itself does not interfere with the collected light. It is deployed in a solar orbit near the Sun–Earth L2 Lagrange point, about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 mi) from Earth, where its five-layer sunshield protects it from warming by the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
Initial designs for the telescope, then named the Next Generation Space Telescope, began in 1996. Two concept studies were commissioned in 1999, for a potential launch in 2007 and a US$1 billion budget. The program was plagued with enormous cost overruns and delays; a major redesign in 2005 led to the current approach, with construction completed in 2016 at a total cost of US$10 billion. The high-stakes nature of the launch and the telescope's complexity were remarked upon by the media, scientists, and engineers.

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  1. jedishrfu

    B Quanta Magazine Video on Biggest Breakthroughs in Physics in 2023

    Covers: - Low-frequency gravitational waves - Quantum energy teleportation - JWST Discoveries
  2. starryexplorer

    I Obtaining Transit Spectrum for Celestial Bodies Using JWST NIRSPEC

    I've recently been tasked with obtaining transit spectrum data for some fascinating celestial bodies, including Ceres, Enceladus, Ganymede, Io, and Titan. The goal is to compare their transit spectra with that of Earth. However, I'm facing a bit of a challenge when it comes to using the Github...
  3. ohwilleke

    B How many astronomers use JWST data?

    I'm looking for a ballpark estimate of the number of astronomers who directly use raw James Webb Space Telescope data, in part, to be able to compare it to the number of scientists using data from other telescopes and scientific experiments.
  4. A

    A Interpreting SDSS extragalactic data in the era of JWST

    • CERN talk : indico.cern.ch/event/1153372/contributions/5200955/ • Presentation materials : bit.ly/MAGIC23AMayer • CERN MAGIC23 : indico.cern.ch/event/1153372/ Talk Description (Abstract) We present empirical evidence from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), including...
  5. Cerenkov

    B 'Universe Breaking' results from JWST -- What does this mean?

    Hello. I was wondering if the experts here would like to comment on this news? Thus far I've been unable to find a link to any science paper. Thank you, Cerenkov.
  6. gleem

    I Massive galaxies during the early Universe, new JWST data

    As of now, it appears the ΛCDM can accommodate this new data but new data is needed to be sure. https://www.quantamagazine.org/standard-model-of-cosmology-survives-jwsts-surprising-finds-20230120/
  7. FactChecker

    I Have you seen the JWST Observing Schedule?

    I thought this might be interesting. It is the JWST Observing Schedule
  8. anorlunda

    I JWST Image Reveals Processes Ejecting Material in Star Formation

    Thanks to the JWST, we have this stunning picture. The APOD description says What are the processes that eject material at this stage?
  9. collinsmark

    Diffraction Effects and Artifacts in Telescopes like the JWST

    [Mentor Note -- Discussion spun off from the main JWST thread] Yes, the apparent hexagonal shape of that star is due to the diffraction within the telescope optics (optical filter characteristics may also have played a role). For clarity, we're talking about this star: They are (images...
  10. Oldman too

    I JWST breaks another Redshift record

    A paper just out seems to describe a galaxy formed ~250 myr after the BB. One of many records that JWST will be both setting and breaking as the data pours in. With the papers focus on UV, this is probably going to be a Pop 3 star search. Section 6.2 of the paper describes the studies findings...
  11. GhostLoveScore

    B Effect of JWST mirror damage on final images

    As most of us know, James Webb Space Telescope suffered a damage to one of its mirror segments due to meteoroid impact. How will that damage show in the images? Some people on certain forum I visit say that there will be some artifacts visible in only one part of the image, but that doesn't...
  12. Cerenkov

    B Why is this JWST paper a cause for 'Panic'?

    Hello. Could somebody please explain to me why the discovery of the unexpected number of spiral galaxies in this image is a cause for panic? My naïve understanding is that this is at odds with the currently accepted model of galaxy formation in the early universe. Any help give at a Basic...
  13. D

    I What is the temperature dependence of the NIRCam sensor's responsivity?

    I've read the NIRCam instrument uses HgCdTe imaging sensors... "JWST NIRCam has ten 2K × 2K HgCdTe detectors" https://jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-near-infrared-camera/nircam-instrumentation/nircam-detector-overview I found this chart which displays the relative sensitivity of the NIRCam sensor...
  14. DaveC426913

    B Why combine the JWST data physically instead of digitally?

    When I'm Photoshopping or film editing or 3D modeling, , I wait until the last possible moment to combine anything. Once combined, the individual data would be lost. Why bother physically combining the images from JWSTs segments? Why not receive the data as 18 channels, store them separately...
  15. sophiecentaur

    Stargazing Image JWST: Amateur Astronomy Success?

    JWST is only four times as far away as the Moon and its sunshield is more than 15m across. Too small to resolve it but it's very well lit and it is against a pretty dark background on occasions. Its position is 'well known and there are some pretty big light bucket amateur scopes around. Has...
  16. E

    I Force of gravity on JWST while orbiting L2

    When the Webb is at a point on its L2 orbit, (not at L2), what direction is the centrifugal force vector compared to the direction of the combined earth-sun gravity vector on the opposite side? Is the direction of this centrifugal vector ALWAYS parallel to the sun-earth plane? or is it always...
  17. mfb

    NASA NASA selects early science targets for JWST

    News A variety of targets will be looked at, including planets and moons within our solar system, various star systems and many galaxies from the early universe, where the high redshift and Hubble’s wavelength range made observations difficult. For exoplanets, the strategy is to look at the...
  18. T

    Is the JWST Doomed? Scientists Speak Out Against Budget Cuts

    The JWST is under threat due to budget cuts. http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-condemn-plans-scrap-hubble-telescope-successor-144202116.html I doubt anyone here will be happy with this news. What can we do about it?
  19. S

    Potential Cancellation of the JWST

    What are your thoughts on this? The U.S. government is considering scrapping the Hubble replacement (James-Webb Space Telescope). This is due to mismanagement and going over budget billions of dollars. This potential revolutionary telescope would be able to look far back into the very...
  20. V

    Delay of JWST a Major Setback for Astronomy

    http://www.space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_051121.html" [Broken] A $1 billion dollar cost growth on the mission is a lot, but considering the value and continuing contributions of Hubble to this very day, I think we can all agree that the JWST is a priority mission for NASA’s universe...
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