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The Scientific Capabilities of the James Webb Space TelescopeThe scientific capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope fall into four themes. The End of the Dark Ages: First Light and Reionization theme seeks to identify the first luminous sources to form and to determine the ionization history of the universe. The Assembly of Galaxies theme seeks to determine how galaxies and dark matter, gas, stars, metals morphological structures, and active nuclei within them evolved from the epoch of reionization to the present. The Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary Systems and the Origins of Life theme seeks to determine the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems around nearby stars and of our own, and investigate the potential for life in those systems. A comprehensive, top-level review of JWST sciences was published in the journal Space Science Reviews (Gardner et al. 2006, SSR, 123, 485). That paper gives details of the 4 JWST science themes, and describes the design of the observatory and ground system. Since that paper was published, the JWST Science Working Group, working with members of the astronomical community, has continued to develop the science case for JWST, giving more details in a series of white papers. In this poster, the main science themes and white papers are reviewed.
Document ID
20080043941
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Gardner, Jonathan P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2009
Subject Category
Astronomy
Meeting Information
Meeting: 213th Meetin gof the American Astronomical Society with HAD and HEAD
Location: Long Beach, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: January 4, 2008
End Date: January 8, 2008
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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