The Cycle 3 GO program for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was unveiled. Details here

As of STSCL cycle 3, a total of 253 general observer programs have been selected, devoting approximately 5,500 hours of the James Webb Telescope’s prime time and up to 1,000 hours of parallel time to detect various astronomical phenomena over the next two years.

The selected proposals were prepared by more than 2,097 unique investigators from 41 countries, including 39 US states plus DC, 18 ESA member states and 6 Canadian provinces. According to the STSCL website, twelve percent of proposals are led by student principal investigators.

Selected proposals for STSCL Cycle 3 will explore a broad spectrum of topics, including exoplanets and exoplanet formation, galaxies, the intergalactic medium and circumgalactic medium, the large-scale structure of the universe, the Solar System, stellar physics and stellar types, stellar populations and the like. The interstellar medium, supermassive black holes and active galaxies. The purpose of these studies is to deepen our understanding of the rapid expansion of the universe and the mysterious dark energy that fuels this evolution.

Among notable projects, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will investigate the detailed characterization of temperate water worlds on exoplanets. This observation will also determine if the planet has a liquid-water ocean, if it is a temperate water world. This highly efficient and yet detailed characterization of temperate sub-Neptunes will constrain the suggested population of water worlds around M dwarfs and has the potential to expand the search space of habitable worlds from Earth-sized planets to megaplanets. In another project, Columbia University assistant professor David Kipping and his team will investigate extra-solar moons, specifically targeting the exoplanet Kepler-167e. This is an important step forward in the search for exomoons, taking advantage of JWST’s Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) for the potentially first undisputed identification of an exomoon.

Here are some of JWST’s major upcoming missions:

Exoplanet transit (ongoing)

During 2024 and 2025, JWST will continue to observe exoplanets as they pass in front of their parent stars. This allows exoplanet atmospheres to be studied.

TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet (early 2024)

In early 2024, JWST will observe the TRAPPIST-1 system orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star about 40 light-years away. This system of seven Earth-sized rocky worlds – which likely have water on their surfaces – is an exciting discovery in the search for life on other worlds. The telescope will study the atmospheres of these planets.

Mapping the early galaxies of the universe (mid-2024)

One of the main goals of JWST under the COSMOS-Web program is to observe the first galaxies formed after the Big Bang 13.5 billion years ago. In 2024, JWST will conduct a comprehensive and in-depth survey of the formation and evolution of half a million galaxies in the largest project, the Web.

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (late 2024)

The Great Red Spot is a persistent high-pressure area in Jupiter’s atmosphere, producing an anticyclonic storm that is the largest in the Solar System. JWST will study Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot storm in detail. The study aims to uncover the storm’s structure, dynamics and chemistry.

SMACS 0723 Galaxy Cluster (2025)

The James Webb Space Telescope will revisit the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, also known as Webb’s first Deep Field, which has provided some of the deepest infrared images of the early universe. In July 2022, JWST provided the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe yet. This image shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago, with several more galaxies in front and behind the cluster.

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Published: 05 March 2024, 11:07 PM IST