James Webb Space Telescope Weekly Schedule Nov 07, 2022 to Nov 14, 2022

November 08, 2022


Last week James Webb Telescope observed several objects including Crab nebula, Saturn's moon Titan, Galaxy NGC 7250, Exoplanets such as Trappist-1b and GJ 3470, Abell 2744, asteroids such as 1996TL66, 2005RN43, 2014LV28, OKYRHOE, 2002XV93, 2004PF115, 2004XA192, 2004PG115. For more details regarding these observations, check out last week's schedule here. This week, James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe Herbig-Haro object HH 212, planetary system HR 8799, Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, planet Saturn and its rings, asteroid Salacia among various other objects. Following are the major objects that James Webb Space Telescope will study this week (Nov 07 to Nov 14, 2022) as per the schedule published here. File Link

HH 212 -  Credit:  ESO/M. McCaughrean 

Herbig-Haro (HH) 212 is located about 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Orion. At the center of HH 212 resides a still-forming star or protostar that will eventually grow to become about the mass of our Sun. The protostar's jets cover a distance of around 5 light-years. The contents inside jets are moving at supersonic rates. Similar to a supersonic aircraft's "sonic boom," it produces a shock wave when it collides with nearby material. Interstellar gas is heated by the shock, which causes it to glow at particular wavelengths of light depending on the shock wave's internal circumstances. James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe HH 212 on November 07, 2022.

Planetary System HR 8799 - Credit: NASA, ESA, and R. Soummer (STScI)

Each of the four large planets in the HR 8799 system has a mass of about 10 Jupiter. They circle a star slightly more massive than the Sun at a distance of more than 14 billion miles. The planets in our solar system are very similar to many exoplanets that have been discovered in the stars' outer orbits. The majority of exoplanets detected in this outer zone, including those around HR 8799, range in mass from 5 to 10 Jupiter masses, making them the most massive planets known to date. James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe HR 8799 on November 07 and November 08, 2022.

Saturn - Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

The second-largest planet in our solar system, Saturn, is also the sixth planet from the Sun. Saturn stands out among the planets due to its countless lovely ringlets. While there are other planets with rings comprised of ice and rock fragments, none are as magnificent or intricate as Saturn's.

Saturn, a gas giant like Jupiter, is a large globe primarily composed of hydrogen and helium.. James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe Saturn and its rings on November 13, 2022.

Enceladus - Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Few objects in our solar system are as fascinating as Enceladus, Saturn's icy ocean moon. Enceladus, however, discharges its ocean into space where a spacecraft can sample it. Only a small number of objects are expected to contain liquid water seas beneath their icy shells. These samples have allowed scientists to conclude that Enceladus likely has hydrothermal vents that shoot hot, mineral-rich water into its ocean and that it contains the majority of the chemical elements required for life. Enceladus, which is about the same width as Arizona, has the solar system's whitest, most reflective surface. As it circles Saturn, the moon forges its own ring: the E ring of Saturn is formed as a spray of icy particles from the moon's orbit expands out into space. James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe Enceladus on November 09, 2022.

Salacia  - Credit: NASA/hubble

In the Kuiper belt, Salacia is a sizable planetoid with a diameter of roughly 850 kilometers. It is 44.8 astronomical units from the Sun as of 2018 and has an opposition apparent magnitude of 20.7. American astronomers Henry Roe, Michael Brown, and Kristina Barkume made the discovery of Salacia on September 22, 2004, at the Palomar Observatory in California. Salacia orbits the Sun at a slightly larger average distance than Pluto. It has a solitary known moon, Actaea, and was named for the Roman goddess Salacia. James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe Salacia on November 12, 2022.