JWST First Targets: What Will Webb Observe First?

What will JWST look at first? The Early Release Science programs will take place over the first 5 months of Cycle 1 (the first year of JWST science operations). There are 14 ERS programs across the areas of Galaxies and Intergalactic Medium, Massive Black Holes and Their Host Galaxies, Planets and Planet Formation, Solar System, Stellar Physics, Stellar Populations.

#astronomy #JWST #spacescience

[schaefo]

Wow, that is more information than I could have hoped for! Thanks so much for taking the time to assemble it all and share it with us!

[rudyperez]

This is the most thorough and also concise presentation of this info! 🧐

[despowell]

Such a wonderful answer!! 👌 thanks for this perfect summary overview!!

[tyho]

I’m going to get a tattoo of one of Webb’s first images. It sounds like choosing just one will be tough, so I may have to get a few incorporated into a sleeve

[antoinekzel]

Thank you very much for these updates and explanations! :)

[Petertronic]

I wonder if they have some sort of algorithm that orders the observations in a sequence that will involve the least amount of turning/pointing maneuvres? Will it have to do the calibration cycles between each target, or at certain intervals of time? Sorry - my head is full of questions today! Great presentation as ever.

[myusername]

10 billion dollars over the course of 15 years is a small price to pay for knowledge.

[I_Spaced_Out]

Do you believe that JWST is the correct telescope to study and probe the growing population of ultradiffuse galaxies (galaxies that appear to have almost no dark matter)?

[rossegDoesMC]

Now to solve the travelling salesman problem to optimize jwst time 🤣