James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

[mlawson71]

It will be parked at L2 using fuel only for pointing. About 20 years worth. https://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/webb-l2.html

You can follow it here.

https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html

That's so cool, thank you for the clarifying information!

 

[ipatent]

https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-mirrors-deployed

 

[mlawson71]

That's pretty good news, it looks like everything is going on track.

 

[OptionsOptionsOptions]

• How does the JWST orbit L2?
• There is no mass to orbit.

• Earth orbits the Sun (Sun has mass).
  
• Moon orbits the Earth (Earth has mass).
• Apollo command module orbits the Moon (Moon has mass).
  
  
  
  

 

[ipatent]

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope turns on cameras to look at first star target

 

[mlawson71]

So it looks like all went well with deploying it. I can't wait for the first pictures.

 

[destriero]

• How does the JWST orbit L2?
• There is no mass to orbit.

• Earth orbits the Sun (Sun has mass).
  
• Moon orbits the Earth (Earth has mass).
• Apollo command module orbits the Moon (Moon has mass).
  
  
  View attachment 276398

Here's another view of the L2. It's a solar orbit in the same way the Earth is a solar orbit but with the added gravitational dynamics (3-body problem). L2 places it in Earth's shadow.

 

[easymon1]

 

[mlawson71]

I had not seen the lagrange points visualized like that before! Thank you!

 

[ipatent]

James Webb Space Telescope captures its first images of a star