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James Webb Space Telescope
Overview
The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope. The observatory launched into space on an Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana on December 25, 2021. After launch, the observatory was successfully unfolded and is being readied for science.
Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System. Webb's instruments are designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range.
Webb has a large primary mirror, 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter and a sunshield the size of a tennis court. Both the mirror and sunshade are too large to fit onto the Ariane 5 rocket fully open, so both were folded which meant they needed to be unfolded in space.
Webb is currently in its operational orbit about 1.5 million km (1 million miles) from the Earth at a location known as Lagrange Point 2 (L2).
The James Webb Space Telescope was named after the NASA Administrator who crafted the Apollo program, and who was a staunch supporter of space science.
Webb First Images
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Webb 1st Anniversary Social Media Video
A 90-second social media video celebrating Webb's first year in space. || December 25, 2022 is the one-year launch anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope. This is an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the entire Webb mission team and the incredible scientific discoveries Webb has made. Happy Birthday, Webb!Music Credit: Universal Production Music Across The Golden Sky Instrumental by ThiessenLet’s Celebrate Instrumental by ThiessenOn The Loose Instrumental by van Hal || A 90-second Instagram video celebrating Webb's first year in space. ||
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The James Webb Space Telescope First Image Review Meetings B-Roll
B-roll footage of scientists reviewing the first images from the Webb Space Telescope in the early release obseravation review meetings at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD. || B-roll footage of scientists seeing the first images taken by the Webb Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute on June 4th, 2022. || The first set of b-roll footage of scientists reviewing the first images taken by the Webb Space Telescope in the early release observation review meeting at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD on June 11th, 2022. ||
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The James Webb Space Telescope First Image Release Broadcast July 12, 2022
The first images taken by the Webb Space Telescope are revealed to the entire world during this broadcast. || Webb First Images live broadcast on July 12, 2022. || Webb First Image leadership event on July 12, 2022. || Part 1 of the Webb First Image Broadcast media briefing. || Part 2 of the Webb First Image Broadcast media briefing. || Part 3 of the Webb First Image Broadcast media briefing. || Part 4 of the Webb First Image Broadcast media briefing. || Part 5 of the Webb First Image Broadcast media briefing. ||
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James Webb Mirror Alignment Completion and First Light Staff Meeting Results B-Roll
B-Roll footage of engineers and scientists completing the mirror alignment on the James Webb Space Telescope an a staff meeting to witness the final result of the tests at the Space Telescop Science Institute in Baltimore, MD. || B-roll footage of engineers and scientists working on the mirror alignment of the James Webb Space Telescope and the staff meeting of the final result of the mirror alignment at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD. ||
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The James Webb Space Telescope First Star 18 Times B-roll
B-roll footage of engineers and scientists working to align of the mirrors on the primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD. || B-roll footage of the wavefront sensing and control team in the office working on aligning the mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope an analyzing the results of the alignment at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD. || B-Roll footage of scientists an engineers meeting to discuss the result of the mirror alignment on the James Webb Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD. ||
Webb Media Resource Highlights
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James Webb Space Telescope Update B-Roll
Webb Telescope assembly b-roll and animations || James Webb Space Telescope assembly b-roll footage, deployment animation and science goal animations. ||
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Webb Telescope Launch Highlights
Webb Telescope Launch Highlights || Webb Launch Broadcast Highlights - December 25, 2021 || STScI MOC Highlights during Webb Launch and Power Up || Video of the Webb Telescope separation from the Ariane 5 launcher on December 25, 2021. The spacecraft separation was captured by the Independent Video Telemetry Kit (VIKI). It captured this view from the upper stage of the Ariane 5 rocket during the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. The VIKI sytem was developed by the Irish space company Réaltra Space Systems Engineering. ||
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Webb Deployment Animations
These animation show the James Webb Space Telescope deployment sequence, as well as breakout animations of each major deployment on the telescope.Each animation is available as a Quicktime ProRes, mpeg-4 or as a png frames sequence. || Webb wide view deployment || Webb deployed with studio lighting. || Webb deployed, 360 camera, neutral lighting. || J+ Sunshield Cover deployment || Primary Mirror deployment medium shot || Secondary Mirror deployment || Secondary Mirror deployment closeup || J+ Boom deployment ||
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James Webb Space Telescope Media Resource B-roll & Time-Lapse Reel
A media reel of b-roll and time-lapse footage of the James Webb Space Telescope. || A media resource reel of b-roll and time-lapse footage of the James Webb Space Telescope's historical journey so far. The reel covers everything from the construction, deployment, and testing of the telescope to its journey across the country. ||
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James Webb Space Telescope Media Resource Beauty Shots Reel
A media reel of beauty shots of the James Webb Space Telescope. || A media reel of beauty shots of the James Webb Space Telescope after significant milestones in the telescopes history. ||
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James Webb Space Telescope Media Resource Animation Reel
A media reel of animations regarding the James Webb Space Telescope. || A media resource reel of animations illustrating and simulating what the James Webb Space Telescope looks like, its science instruments, the launch process, the telescopes deployment process, and Webb's orbit around the sun. The reel also includes animations of exoplanets. ||
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James Webb Space Telescope Update B-Roll
Webb Telescope assembly b-roll and animations || James Webb Space Telescope assembly b-roll footage, deployment animation and science goal animations. ||
Recent Releases
Webb Launch and Deployment Programs and Highlights
Spacecraft Animation
Science Animation
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Webb Science Simulations: Re-Ionization Era
The visualization shows galaxies, composed of gas, stars and dark matter, colliding and forming filaments in the large-scale universe providing a view of the Cosmic Web. The Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Drs. Renyue Cen and Jeremiah Ostriker to visualize a simulation of the nonlinear cosmological evolution of the universe. Drs. Cen and Ostriker developed one of the largest cosmological hydrodynamic simulations and computed over 749 gigabytes of raw data at the NCSA in 2005. AVL used Amore software (http://avl.ncsa.illinois.edu/what-we-do/software) to interpolate and render approximately 322 gigabytes of a subset of the computed data. The simulation begins about 20 million years after the Big Bang - about 13.7 billion years ago - and extends until the present day.AVL(http://avl.ncsa.illinois.edu/) at NCSA (http://ncsa.illinois.edu/), University of Illinois (www.illinois.edu) ||
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JWST Science Simulations: Galaxy Formation
Supercomputer Simulations of Galaxy Formation and Evolution. This visualization shows small galaxies forming, interacting, and merging to make ever-larger galaxies. This 'hierarchical structure formation' is driven by gravity and results in the creation of galaxies with spiral arms much like our own Milky Way galaxy. The Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) simulation generated from ENZO code for cosmology and astrophysics was developed by Drs. Brian O'Shea and Michael Norman. The AMR code generated 1.8 terabytes of data and was computed at NCSA. AVL used Amore software (http://avl.ncsa.illinois.edu/what-we-do/software) to interpolate and render 2700 frames (42 gigabytes of HD images). The simulation spans a time period of 13.7 billion years. This visualization provides insight into the assembly and formation of galaxies. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will probe the earliest periods of galaxy formation by looking deep into space to see the first galaxies that form in the universe, only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. The Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Drs. Brian O'Shea and Michael Norman to visualize the formation of a Milky Way-type galaxy. The Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) simulation generated from ENZO code for cosmology and astrophysics was developed by Drs. Brian O'Shea and Michael Norman. The AMR code generated 1.8 terabytes of data and was computed at NCSA. AVL used Amore software (http://avl.ncsa.illinois.edu/what-we-do/software) to interpolate and render 2700 frames (42 gigabytes of HD images). The simulation spans a time period of 13.7 billion years. This visualization provides insight into the assembly and formation of galaxies. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will probe the earliest periods of galaxy formation by looking deep into space to see the first galaxies that form in the universe, only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.AVL(http://avl.ncsa.illinois.edu/) at NCSA (http://ncsa.illinois.edu/), University of Illinois (www.illinois.edu) ||
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JWST Science Simulation: Galaxy Collision
The Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Drs. Brant Robertson and Lars Hernquist to visualize two colliding galaxies that interact and merge into a single elliptical galaxy over a period spanning two billion years of evolution. The scientific theoretical model and the computational data output were developed by Drs. Brant Robertson and Lars Hernquist. AVL rendered more than 80 gigabytes of this data using in-house rendering software and Virtual Director for camera choreography. This computation provides important research to understand galaxy mergers, and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will provide data to test such theories. When two large disk-shaped galaxies merge — as will happen within the next few billion years with the Milky Way galaxy and its largest neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy — the result will likely settle into a cloud-shaped elliptical galaxy. Most elliptical galaxies observed today formed from collisions that occurred billions of years ago. It is difficult to observe such collisions now with ground-based telescopes since these collisions are billions of light-years away. JWST will probe in unprecedented detail those distant epochs, and provide exquisite images of mergers caught in the act of destroying disk galaxies.AVL at NCSA University of Illinois ||
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Webb Science Simulations: Planetary Systems and Origins of Life
Supercomputer simulations of planeratry evolution. Part 1: Turbulent Molecular Cloud Nebula with Protostellar ObjectsThe Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Drs. Alexei Kritsuk and Michael Norman to visualize a computational data set of a turbulent molecular cloud nebula forming protostellar objects and accretion disks approximately 100 AU in diameter, on the order of the size of our solar system. AVL used its Amore software to interpolate and render the Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) simulation generated from ENZO code for cosmology and astrophysics. The AMR simulation was developed by Drs. Kritsuk and Norman at the Laboratory for Computational Astrophysics. The AMR simulation generated more than 2 terabytes of data and follows star formation processes in a self-gravitating turbulent molecular cloud with a dynamic range of half-a-million in linear scale, resolving both the large-scale filamentary structure of the molecular cloud (~5 parsec) and accretion disks around emerging young protostellar objects (down to 2 AU). Part 2: Protoplanetary Disk and Planet FormationThe Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Dr. Aaron Boley to visualize the 16,000 year evolution of a young, isolated protoplanetary disk which surrounds a newly-formed protostar. The disk forms spiral arms and a dense clump as a result of gravitational collapse. Dr. Aaron Boley developed this computational model to investigate the response of young disks to mass accretion from their surrounding envelopes, including the direct formation of planets and brown dwarfs through gravitational instability. The main formation mechanism for gas giant planets has been debated within the scientific community for over a decade. One of these theories is 'direct formation through gravitational instability.' If the self-gravity of the gas overwhelms the disk's thermal pressure and the stabilizing effect of differential rotation, the gas closest to the protostar rotates faster than gas farther away. In this scenario, regions of the gaseous disk collapse and form a planet directly. The study, presented in Boley (2009), explores whether mass accretion in the outer regions of disks can lead to such disk fragmentation. The simulations show that clumps can form in situ at large disk radii. If the clumps survive, they can become gas giants on wide orbits, e.g., Fomalhaut b, or even more massive objects called brown dwarfs. Whether a disk forms planets at large radii and, if so, the number of planets that form, depend on how much of the envelope mass is distributed at large distances from the protostar. The results of the simulations suggest that there are two modes of gas giant planet formation. The first mode occurs early in the disk's lifetime, at large radii, and through the disk instability mechanism. After the main accretion phase is over, gas giants can form in the inner disk, over a period of a million years, through the core accretion mechanism, which researchers are addressing in other studies.Thanks to R. H. Durisen, L. Mayer, and G. Lake for comments and discussions relating to this research. This study was supported in part by the University of Zurich, Institute for Theoretical Physics, and by a Swiss Federal Grant. Resources supporting this work were provided by the NASA High-End Computing (HEC) Program through the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division at Ames Research Center.AVL at NCSA, University of Illinois. ||
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Webb Science Simulations: Planetary Systems and Origins of Life
Supercomputer simulations of planeratry evolution. Part 1: Turbulent Molecular Cloud Nebula with Protostellar ObjectsThe Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Drs. Alexei Kritsuk and Michael Norman to visualize a computational data set of a turbulent molecular cloud nebula forming protostellar objects and accretion disks approximately 100 AU in diameter, on the order of the size of our solar system. AVL used its Amore software to interpolate and render the Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) simulation generated from ENZO code for cosmology and astrophysics. The AMR simulation was developed by Drs. Kritsuk and Norman at the Laboratory for Computational Astrophysics. The AMR simulation generated more than 2 terabytes of data and follows star formation processes in a self-gravitating turbulent molecular cloud with a dynamic range of half-a-million in linear scale, resolving both the large-scale filamentary structure of the molecular cloud (~5 parsec) and accretion disks around emerging young protostellar objects (down to 2 AU). Part 2: Protoplanetary Disk and Planet FormationThe Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) collaborated with NASA and Dr. Aaron Boley to visualize the 16,000 year evolution of a young, isolated protoplanetary disk which surrounds a newly-formed protostar. The disk forms spiral arms and a dense clump as a result of gravitational collapse. Dr. Aaron Boley developed this computational model to investigate the response of young disks to mass accretion from their surrounding envelopes, including the direct formation of planets and brown dwarfs through gravitational instability. The main formation mechanism for gas giant planets has been debated within the scientific community for over a decade. One of these theories is 'direct formation through gravitational instability.' If the self-gravity of the gas overwhelms the disk's thermal pressure and the stabilizing effect of differential rotation, the gas closest to the protostar rotates faster than gas farther away. In this scenario, regions of the gaseous disk collapse and form a planet directly. The study, presented in Boley (2009), explores whether mass accretion in the outer regions of disks can lead to such disk fragmentation. The simulations show that clumps can form in situ at large disk radii. If the clumps survive, they can become gas giants on wide orbits, e.g., Fomalhaut b, or even more massive objects called brown dwarfs. Whether a disk forms planets at large radii and, if so, the number of planets that form, depend on how much of the envelope mass is distributed at large distances from the protostar. The results of the simulations suggest that there are two modes of gas giant planet formation. The first mode occurs early in the disk's lifetime, at large radii, and through the disk instability mechanism. After the main accretion phase is over, gas giants can form in the inner disk, over a period of a million years, through the core accretion mechanism, which researchers are addressing in other studies.Thanks to R. H. Durisen, L. Mayer, and G. Lake for comments and discussions relating to this research. This study was supported in part by the University of Zurich, Institute for Theoretical Physics, and by a Swiss Federal Grant. Resources supporting this work were provided by the NASA High-End Computing (HEC) Program through the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division at Ames Research Center.AVL at NCSA, University of Illinois. ||
Instrument & Component Animation
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Webb Science Instrument Animations
Animations of James Webb Space Telescope Instruments
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NIRCam Instrument Animation
The Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) is Webb's primary imager that will cover the infrared wavelength range 0.6 to 5 microns. NIRCam will detect light from: the earliest stars and galaxies in the process of formation, the population of stars in nearby galaxies, as well as young stars in the Milky Way and Kuiper Belt objects. NIRCam is equipped with coronagraphs, instruments that allow astronomers to take pictures of very faint objects around a central bright object, like stellar systems. NIRCam's coronagraphs work by blocking a brighter object's light, making it possible to view the dimmer object nearby - just like shielding the sun from your eyes with an upraised hand can allow you to focus on the view in front of you. With the coronagraphs, astronomers hope to determine the characteristics of planets orbiting nearby stars.
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Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) Light Path Animation
The spectrograph light path inside the Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the Webb Telescope. Versions with labels and without labels.Credit: European Space Agency || The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has both a camera and a spectrograph that sees light in the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, with wavelengths that are longer than our eyes see.MIRI covers the wavelength range of 5 to 28 microns. Its sensitive detectors will allow it to see the redshifted light of distant galaxies, newly forming stars, and faintly visible comets as well as objects in the Kuiper Belt. MIRI's camera will provide wide-field, broadband imaging that will continue the breathtaking astrophotography that has made Hubble so universally admired. The spectrograph will enable medium-resolution spectroscopy, providing new physical details of the distant objects it will observe. ||
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MIRI Instrument Turntable Animation
A turntable animation of Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). || A turntable animation of Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The Mid-infrared Instrument has both a camera and a spectrograph that sees light in the mid-infrared region of the region of the electromagnetic spectrum, with wavelengths that are longer than our eye sees. MIRI was built by the MIRI Consortium, a group that consists of scientists and engineers from European countries, a team from the Jet Propulsion Lab in California, and scientists from several U.S. institutions. The nominal operating temperature for MIRI is 7K. This level of cooling cannot be attained using the passive cooling provided by Thermal Management Subsystem. Webb carries an innovative "cryocooler" that is dedicated to cooling MIRI's detectors. Instead, there is a two-step process: A Pulse Tube precooler gets the instrument down to 18K; and a Joule-Thomson Loop heat exchanger knocks it down to 7K. ||
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Webb's Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) Instrument Light Path Animation
Animation of the light path inside the Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) on the Webb Telescope. Showing simulated data.Credit: European Space Agency || The Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) will operate over a wavelength range of 0.6 to 5 microns. A spectrograph (also sometimes called a spectrometer) is used to disperse light from an object into a spectrum. Analyzing the spectrum of an object can tell us about its physical properties, including temperature, mass, and chemical composition. The atoms and molecules in the object actually imprint lines on its spectrum that uniquely fingerprint each chemical element present and can reveal a wealth of information about physical conditions in the object. Spectroscopy and spectrometry (the sciences of interpreting these lines) are among the sharpest tools in the shed for exploring the cosmos.Many of the objects that the Webb will study, such as the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang, are so faint, that the Webb's giant mirror must stare at them for hundreds of hours in order to collect enough light to form a spectrum. In order to study thousands of galaxies during its 5 year mission, the NIRSpec is designed to observe 100 objects simultaneously. The NIRSpec will be the first spectrograph in space that has this remarkable multi-object capability. To make it possible, Goddard scientists and engineers had to invent a new technology microshutter system to control how light enters the NIRSpec. ||
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NIRSpec Instrument Animation
The Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) will operate over a wavelength range of 0.6 to 5 microns. A spectrograph (also sometimes called a spectrometer) is used to disperse light from an object into a spectrum. Analyzing the spectrum of an object can tell us about its physical properties, including temperature, mass, and chemical composition. The atoms and molecules in the object actually imprint lines on its spectrum that uniquely fingerprint each chemical element present and can reveal a wealth of information about physical conditions in the object. Spectroscopy and spectrometry (the sciences of interpreting these lines) are among the sharpest tools in the shed for exploring the cosmos.
Many of the objects that the Webb will study, such as the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang, are so faint, that the Webb's giant mirror must stare at them for hundreds of hours in order to collect enough light to form a spectrum. In order to study thousands of galaxies during its 5 year mission, the NIRSpec is designed to observe 100 objects simultaneously. The NIRSpec will be the first spectrograph in space that has this remarkable multi-object capability. To make it possible, Goddard scientists and engineers had to invent a new technology microshutter system to control how light enters the NIRSpec.
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FGS/NIRISS Turntable Animation
The Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) allows Webb to point precisely, so that it can obtain high-quality images. The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph part of the FGS/NIRISS will be used to investigate the following science objectives: first light detection, exoplanet detection and characterization, and exoplanet transit spectroscopy.
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Webb Spacecraft 2-Segment Animation with Instrument view
Animation shows the two main sections of the Webb Telescope: the Optical Telescope Integrated Science (OTIS) segment and the Spacecraft Element (SCE) segment. The animation also reveals the location of Webb's four instruments.
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Webb Spacecraft Segment Animation (with alpha)
Animation (with alpha channel) of the three main segments of the James Webb Space Telescope with quick in and out to show cutaway for Webb's instruments. || The Webb Telescope is made of 3 main segments: the Telescope Element, the Sunshield, and the Spacecraft Bus. This animation shows these segments and ofers a glimpse inside the Telescope Element to see Webb's instruments. || Animation (with alpha channel) of the three main segments of the James Webb Space Telescope with a slow 360 move around the telescope to show cutaway for Webb's instruments. ||
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Webb Telescope Instrument Animations
The James Webb Space Telelscope carries 4 science instruments: the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), and the Fine Guidance Sensor / Near InfraRed Imager adn Slitless Spetrograph (FGS/NIRISS). All four instruments are housed in the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM). || Animaiton of Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) instrument rotating (with embedded alpha channel) || Animation of Near-InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument rotating (with embedded alpha channel) ||
Descriptive Concept Animations
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Webb Global Contributor Map
Flyover animation of map of Webb Global Contributors || The James Webb Space Telescope is an international endeavor with widespread global contributions and experts in more than a dozen countries dedicated to the build, launch, and future science of this flagship NASA space observatory. The cooperation and collaboration on Webb is an incredible testament to what is possible with worldwide teamwork.Thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians from 14 countries, 29 U.S. states, and Washington, D.C. contributed to build, test, and integrate Webb. In total, 258 distinct companies, agencies, and universities participated – 142 from the United States, 104 from 12 European nations, and 12 from Canada. ||
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James Webb Space Telescope Launch and Orbit at L2
The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope. The observatory launched into space on an Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana on December 25, 2021. After launch, the observatory was successfully unfolded and is being readied for science. Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System.
The James Webb Space Telescope will not be in orbit around the Earth, like the Hubble Space Telescope is - it will actually orbit the Sun, 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) away from the Earth at what is called the second Lagrange point or L2. What is special about this orbit is that it lets the telescope stay in line with the Earth as it moves around the Sun. This allows the satellite's large sunshield to protect the telescope from the light and heat of the Sun and Earth (and Moon).
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James Webb Space Telescope Orbit
The James Webb Space Telescope will not be in orbit around the Earth, like the Hubble Space Telescope is - it will actually orbit the Sun, 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) away from the Earth at what is called the second Lagrange point or L2. What is special about this orbit is that it lets the telescope stay in line with the Earth as it moves around the Sun. This allows the satellite's large sunshield to protect the telescope from the light and heat of the Sun and Earth (and Moon).
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Folding the Webb Telescope to Fit Inside Ariane 5 Rockete Fairing
Animation showing the Webb Space Telescope folding to fit inside the Ariane 5 rocket fairing.
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Primary Mirror Size Comparison Between Webb and Hubble
Webb Telescope and Hubble Telescope primary mirror comparison with person as reference. || The James Webb Space Telescope primary mirror is 6.5 meters (21 feet 4-inches) across. The Hubble Space Telescope primary mirror is 2.4 meters (8-feet) across.The Webb Telescope's longest segment is its sunshield at 21.18 meters (69.5 feet) long. The Hubble Space Telescope is 13.2 meters (43.5 feet) long. || Webb Telescope and Hubble Telescope primary mirror comparison. || Three rotations of Webb Telescope and Hubble Telescope primary mirror comparison with person as reference. ||
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Spacecraft Size Comparison Between the Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope
Size comparison between the Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. || The Webb Telescopes longest segment is its sunshield at 21.18 meters (69.5 feet) long. The Hubble Space Telescope is 13.2 meters (43.5 feet) long. || Size comparison between the Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. A human figure is added for reference. ||
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Webb Mirror Size Comparison with Hubble Animation
Animation comparing the relative sizes of James Webb's primary mirror to Hubble's primary mirror. || Animation comparing the relative sizes of James Webb's primary mirror to Hubble's primary mirror. ||
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Alignment of the Primary Mirror Segments of The James Webb Space Telescope
Animation of the James Webb Space Telescope mirror alignment and phasing process. || Animation of the James Webb Space Telescope mirror alignment and phasing process. ||
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Webb Orbit
An animation showing the relative location of the Webb Telelscope related to the Earth, Moon and Sun. || Animation showing relative orbit of Webb Telescope ||
Webb Journey To Space Series
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Webb Journey to Space 1: Packing & Transport
This is the beginning of the James Webb Space Telescope's journey to space! It started with engineers packing the telescope into the protective transport container. The container was then moved from Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, CA to Seal Beach, CA. Waiting at Seal Beach was the ship, the MN Colibri, which would carry Webb to the port near the launch site in French Guiana. || Social media video. Universal Production Music: Incredible Journey 1436055 || B-roll footage from the social media video. Universal Production Music: Incredible Journey 1436055 ||
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Webb Journey to Space 2: Loading & Departure
The Webb Telescope's journey to space continues... After arriving at Seal Beach, California, Webb, inside of the protective transport container, was loaded into the MN Colibri. This process took several steps to accomplish. Once the telescope was loaded inside the cargo hold, the MN Colibri set sail for the port near the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana. || Social Media video. Universal Production Music: Time to Bloom 1546643 || B-roll footage from social media video. Universal Production Music: Time to Bloom 1546643 ||
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Webb Journey to Space Part 3 Arrival & Off loaded
The MN Colibri with the Webb Telescope safely inside the cargo hold has arrived at Kourou in French Guiana, the location of the launch site for Webb. The journey from Los Angeles to Kourou took a total of 16 days. Once the MN Colibri made port, the team of engineers unload Webb still inside the protective transport container from the ship and moved it to Guiana Space Centre. || Social media videoMusic: Universal Production Music: Beautiful Abundance Instrumental by Britton Goldsmith || B-roll footage from the social media video. ||
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Webb Journey to Space Part 4: Unpacking in the Cleanroom
After making its journey to Kourou, French Guiana, the Webb Telescope inside the protective transport container has been brought to the Guiana Space Centre. Once inside the processing facility's cleanroom, engineers unpacked Webb from the protective transport container and installed it to the rollover fixture. The telescope now waits to begin launch preparations. || Social Media Video || B-roll footage from social media video || Webb Journey To Space #4 - version with no graphics and no dissolves. ||
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Webb Journey to Space EP5: Spacecraft Fueling
Webb Journey to Space EP5: Spacecraft Fueling || Fueling is Webb’s most dangerous operation, when on Earth. The team moves Webb to the fueling area. The Webb Telescope's next step is moving to the vehicle assembly building where it will be placed atop the Ariane 5 rocket. The Webb Telescope journey to space continues…Music Credit: Question Time by Paul Reeves - Universal Production Music ||
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Webb Journey to Space EP6: Launch
The final chapter of the Webb journey to space. After months of transporting and preparing, the time has finally come. The Webb Telescope first is moved into the Ariane 5 rocket faring at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket with Webb now inside of it, is then moved to the launch pad. On Christmas morning, the rocket is launched into space. Approximately 30 minutes after the rocket made it into space, Webb was seperate for the rocket and slowly started its journey to L2. ||
Elements of Webb Series
Elements of Webb explores why engineers chose to use different materials on the James Webb Space Telescope. While Webb towers three stories tall, and has a tennis court sized sunshield and is twice the size of the Hubble Space Telescope, Webb is half Hubble’s weight. Why? Engineers precisely chose the right materials. #UnfoldTheUniverse
Webb at the Launch Site
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James Webb Space Telescope Encapsulation
Encapsulation marks the final readiness for Webb's flight to space. Here the rocket fairing, or nose cone, of the Ariane 5 rocket was lifted 15 stories and carefully placed over the Webb Telescope. || Captured with a GoPro - Timelapse from the upper level of the rocket fairing being lowered over the Webb Telescope. || Captured with a GoPro camera - Timelapse from a midpoint height of the rocket fairing being lowered over the Webb Telescope. || Captured with a GoPro camera - Timelapse from a lower postion of the rocket fairing being lowered over the Webb Telescope. ||
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The Webb Telescope Moved for Fueling in French Guiana B-Roll
B-roll footage of engineers moving the Webb Telescope from the S5C building to S5B building to begin fueling the telescope at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. || Camera 1 b-roll footage || Camera 2 b-roll footage ||
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The Webb Telescope Installed to the Payload Adapter Ring In French Guiana B-Roll
B-roll footage of engineers installing the Webb Telescope to the payload adapter ring at Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. || Day 1 b-roll || Day 2 pt 1 b-roll || Day 2 pt 2 b-roll ||
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The Webb Telescope Lifted Off of the Rollover Fixture Before Going onto the Payload Adapter B-Roll
B-roll footage of engineers lifting the Webb Telescope off of the rollover fixture at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. || Camera 1 b-roll || Camera 2 Pt 1 b-roll || Camera 2 Pt 2 b-roll ||
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The Webb Telescope moved for Fueling at Guiana Space Centre Time-Lapses
Time-lapse footage of engineers moving the Webb Telescope from building S5C to S5B for fueling before being moved into the Ariane V rocket at Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. || Time-lapse footage of engineers moving the Webb Telescope out of the S5C cleanroom and into the protective transport container at Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. || Time-Lapse footage of engineers moving the Webb Telescope into the protective transport container at Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. ||
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The Webb Telescope Installed to the Rocket Payload Adapter Ring Time-Lapses
Time-lapse footage of engineers installing the Webb Telescope to the rocket payload adapter ring at Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. || GoPro camera 1 time-lapse || GoPro camera 2 time-lapse ||
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The Webb Telescope Lifted off of the Rollover Fixture at Guiana Space Centre Time-Lapses
Time-lapses of engineers lifting the Webb Telescope off of the rollover fixture before installing it to the rocket payload adapter ring at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. || GoPro camera 1 time-lapse || Part 1 of the GoPro camera 2 time-lapse || Part 2 of the GoPro camera 2 time-lapse ||
Shipping Webb: Los Angeles to the Launch Site
Transporting and Moving Webb
A collection of all the produced videos, b-roll and time-lapse assets related to transporting Webb and it's components.