James Webb Space Telescope Weekly Schedule Sep 05, 2022 to Sep 12, 2022

September 04, 2022


As James Webb Telescope continued to explore our vast Universe, it made some amazing observations last week including Eris, a dwarf planet within the solar system, 1999KR16 a trans Neptunian asteroid, Eagle Nebula (M-16), Butterfly Nebula (NGC-6302) and Barred irregular galaxy (NGC-6822). For more details regarding these observations, check out last week's schedule here. This week, James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe a young stellar object DG Tauri B, WD 0145+234 a white dwarf star, planet Mars, M17 also known as the Omega Nebula or Swan Nebula, 617 Patroclus a large binary Jupiter trojan asteroid, LP 944-20, a failed Star or brown dwarf. Following are the major objects that James Webb Space Telescope will study this week (Sep 05 to Sep 12, 2022) as per the schedule published here. File Link

DB Tauri B - Credit: Chris Burrows (STScI), the WFPC2 Science Team and NASA/ESA

Located at a distance of 450 light years from earth, within the Taurus constellation, DG Tauri B is a young stellar object. The young star itself appears as the bright red spot at the corner of the V-shaped nebula. This object was first observed in October and December 1995 at the 6 element Owens Valley millimeter wave array. Its most distinct characteristics are its bipolar jets of molecular gas and dust emanating from both sides of the object. Red-shifted carbon monoxide emissions extend out 6,000 AU to the northwest of the object from the undetermined source, and are symmetrically distributed about the jet, while blue-shifted carbon monoxide emissions are confined to a region with a roughly 500 AU radius. James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe DB Tauri B on Sep 5, 2022.

WD0145+234 - White Dwarf Illustration - Credit:  Credits: CfA/Mark A. Garlick

Located at a distance of 95 light years from earth in the constellation of Aries, WD 0145+234 is a white dwarf star that has been associated with studies suggesting that a very large exoasteroid near the star was substantially disrupted which caused a considerable amount of dust and debris around the star. Possibly there are ongoing collisions happening between planetesimals inside the dusty debris disk around the white dwarf causing the outbursts around this dwarf white star. Outburst around white dwarfs in the infrared are not unusual. Novae and dwarf novae also show outbursts, but they are accompanied by an outburst in the optical and appear around binaries. James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe WD0145+234 on Sep 05, 2022.

Mars - Credit: NASA/JPL

Mars also known as the Red planet due to iron oxide prevalent on its surface, is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, with Mercury being the smallest. With two small and irregularly shaped moons: Phobos and Deimos, Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, and has a crust primarily composed of elements similar to Earth's crust, as well as a core made of iron and nickel. Mars is also a dynamic planet with seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, extinct volcanoes, and evidence that it was even more active in the past. James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to observe Mars on Sep 05 and Sep 06, 2022. 

Region within M17 Omega Nebula - Credit: Credits: ESA, NASA and J. Hester (Arizona State University)

Located at a distance of 5,500 light years from earth in the constellation Sagittarius, M17, also known as the Omega Nebula or Swan Nebula, is one of the largest star-forming regions in the Milky Way galaxy. The Omega Nebula was discovered in 1745 by the Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Chéseaux. It has an apparent magnitude of 6 and can be seen with a pair of binoculars. M17, which appears near M16 and M18 in the sky, is best viewed on clear nights in August.  M17 contains one of our galaxy’s youngest star clusters, at only 1 million years old. However, many of the young stars in this cluster are impossible to see because of the gas and dust that surrounds them. James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe Omega Nebula on Sep 07, 2022. 

Patroclus - Credit: Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Discovered on October 17, 1906 in Germany by astronomer August Kopff, Patroclus is a large binary Jupiter trojan asteroid composed of two similarly sized objects. Patroclus was believed to be one of the largest Jupiter trojans, with a diameter of 150 km. However, in 2001 it was discovered to be a binary asteroid of two similarly sized objects. The name Patroclus is now assigned to the larger component of approx 115km in size and the name Menoetius is assigned to smaller component with a size of approx 105km of this binary asteroid. It is a slow rotator with a 103-hour orbital period of its two components and hence considered as a dark D-type asteroid. Recent observations suggest that the objects are icy like comets, rather than rocky like most asteroids. . James Webb Telescope is scheduled to observe Patroclus on Sep 07, 2022.