JWST at the 245th American Astronomical Society Meeting
About Event
Location
National Harbor, MD
Description
The 245th American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting will include a variety of events focused on science with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as we prepare for Cycle 4.
The JWST Calibration Pipeline: A Hands-on Workshop
Saturday, January 11
8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. EST
Registration fee: $35.00
Already into its third year of scientific operations, JWST keeps delivering astonishing scientific results to a highly engaged astronomical community. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is committed to facilitating data accessibility for both experienced and new observatory users, and to offering different kinds of training, including in-person.
This one-day workshop will present an overview of the JWST science calibration pipeline, along with a summary of known issues and recent/upcoming updates. Participants will then install the calibration pipeline, with all needed reference files, and engage on a series of guided python notebook based tutorials of highly utilized JWST observing modes, which will use publicly available data. There will be time to troubleshoot installation problems, to have a general Q&A, and to discuss specific data issues users may have already encountered with other JWST observing programs. All feedback received from users will be captured and appropriately addressed.
The workshop will be guided by STScI's JWST pipeline experts.
Speaker | Topic |
---|---|
David Law | Pipeline Overview |
David Law | MIRI Status |
Alicia Canipe | NIRCam Status |
Stephanie LaMassa | NIRISS Status |
Christian Hayes | NIRSpec Status |
Stacey Bright | STScI Resources for JWST Observers |
Python Data Analysis with the James Webb and Roman Space Telescopes
Sunday, January 12
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST
Registration fee: $35.00
This workshop, organized by STScI, will cover several tools used for the data analysis and visualization of JWST and Roman data. This includes the Jdaviz visualization and data analysis package, the Advanced Scientific Data Format (ASDF) package, specreduce, photutils PSF photometry, and generalized world coordinate systems (gwcs). The goals are to introduce participants to these tools and provide hands-on time for participants to use the tools and ask questions to the developers. The format will include short presentations followed by instructor-guided tutorials using Jupyter notebooks.
Jdaviz is a package of astronomical data analysis visualization tools based on the Jupyter platform. These GUI-based tools link data visualization and interactive analysis. Presenters will provide examples of the latest features available in the various configurations (Specviz, Cubeviz, Imviz, and Specviz2d) and will guide attendees through basic and advanced workflows to analyze JWST spectra and images.
The Advanced Scientific Data Format (ASDF) is a next-generation interchange format for scientific data. It will be used as the data format for Roman Space Telescope Level 1 - 4 data products.
The workshop will also cover the Astropy packages specreduce (spectral extraction), photutils PSF photometry, and the generalized world coordinates system package (gwcs).
There will be time spent on hands-on exercises. Participants must bring a laptop with the software installed. Instructions on installing the necessary software will be provided before the workshop and help will be available at the workshop for those that experience problems with installations.
The prerequisites are a familiarity with astronomical data analysis. Basic Python experience is highly recommended to be able to participate in the exercises. Those without Python experience will still be able to use Jdaviz and gain useful information about the capabilities for data analysis in Python.
Special Session: Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD): Contributions to JWST Studies of Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium
Monday, January 13, 2025
2:00 to 3:30 p.m. EST
The James Webb Space Telescope is discovering new molecules in space. Recent JWST observations of the interstellar medium and star-forming regions reveal radiative and mechanical feedback processes. The recent detection of the Methyl Cation in the Orion Nebula demonstrates that ultraviolet radiation can activate gas-phase organic chemistry. Laboratory investigations of the thermodynamics and kinetics of complex organic molecules contribute to our understanding of new results from JWST.
Special Session: New Perspectives on Protoplanetary Disks in the Era of JWST and the ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
10:00 to 11:30 a.m. EST
ALMA observations have been the basis for a revolution in the understanding of the structure and gas composition of protoplanetary disks, thanks to its ability to probe emission from embedded and/or cold regions. This new paradigm has now been leveraged by results from JWST uniquely characterizing dust and ice grain size distribution and composition in inner disks, unveiling the processing of water and hydrocarbons. Together, such observations can paint a 3-D view of the general vertical structure in a number of disks at different evolution stages.
Most recently, ALMA and JWST data have provided characterization of ongoing processes at the scale of embedded planets and protoplanets, such as direct evidence of gravitational instabilities, gas and dust accretion onto planetary cores, planet-driven outflows and planetesimal growth from molecular freeze-out on dust grains. As a detailed and nuanced picture is emerging of the processes driving the formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks, the next step would be to establish the framework linking the spectral type and multiplicity of hosts stars to the structure of their planetary systems and the composition of planetary atmospheres.
When JWST approaches the end of its planned mission lifetime, ALMA will have completed the first phase of a major upgrade of its components — the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU), consisting of a completely new digital path, correlator, and three new wideband receivers — with additional receiver bands to follow. For protoplanetary disks, this comprehensive upgrade translates into much more effective spectral surveys for extensive molecular gas composition characterization, increased image fidelity and sensitivity for the detailed identification of disk substructures and kinematic distortions, and overall access to a much larger number of targets, including compact disks, for a better sampling of the variety of disk sizes and evolution stages.
This special session will be hosted by the NAASC (see the event information on the NRAO website). It will present recent high-impact ALMA and JWST results in different subfields of protoplanetary disk studies, and will introduce how future synergistic experiments enabled by the transformative capabilities increase from ALMA-Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade will support the next revolution in the field. Speakers include:
- Jennifer Donovan Meyer (National Radio Astronomy Observatory)
- M. Van 't Hoff (Purdue University)
- C. Espaillat (Boston University)
- K. Pontoppidan (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
- K. Zhang (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Special Session: The Rocky Worlds DDT Program: A search for atmospheres on rocky exoplanets around M-dwarfs
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (EST)
STScI is starting a large-scale, multi-year survey of rocky M-dwarf exoplanets — the Rocky Worlds Program — using around 500 hours of Director’s Discretionary Time (DDT) on the James Webb Space Telescope to search for atmospheres in more than a dozen nearby systems. This program will, in turn, include approximately 250 orbits of ultraviolet observations with the Hubble Space Telescope devoted to characterize the system’s host star UV properties. The main observational strategy of the program is to use secondary eclipse photometry with JWST/MIRI at 15 microns to constrain the presence (or lack thereof) of atmospheres on these exoplanet systems. In this Special Session, we will present an overview of this DDT program, as well as synergies this program might have with ground and other space-based facilities that could be used to characterize the stars and exoplanetary systems under study by the program. Expecting to initiate observations in the November 2024 to July 2025 range, this session is expected to be one of the first community forums to share and discuss observational strategies, modelling opportunities and challenges as well as possible follow-up studies and analyses that could stem from these first observations of this exciting DDT program.
Speaker | Topic |
---|---|
Megan Weiner Mansfield (University of Maryland) | Constraints on current rocky exoplanet observations and what they imply for the Rocky Worlds DDT |
Brandon Coy (University of Chicago) | Atmospheric Theoretical Expectations for Rocky Worlds DDT Discoveries |
Jegug Ih (STScI) | Do Rocky Planets around M Stars Have Atmospheres? A Statistical Approach to the Cosmic Shoreline |
Rafael Luque (University of Chicago) | RV characterization of planets of interest to the Rocky Worlds DDT by MAROON-X and CARMENES |
Alessandro Sozzetti (INAF) | RV characterization of planets of potential interest to the Rocky Worlds DDT by ESPRESSO |
Kevin France (University of Colorado) | UV and X-ray Observations of Rocky Planet M Dwarf Host Stars: Inputs for Atmospheric Photochemistry and Escape Calculations |
Scott Engle (Villanova University) | Detailing the Evolution of Red Dwarfs, and the Consequences for their Hosted Exoplanets, in Support of the Rocky Worlds DDT Program |
JWST Town Hall
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (EST)
The James Webb Space Telescope is in its third year of successful science operations, and its groundbreaking discoveries have already impacted most fields of astronomy. The scientific community is highly engaged in proposing for and exploiting JWST data, making it important to maintain open lines of communication between the science community and the JWST Project at NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). This JWST Town Hall will provide science highlights throughout more than 2 years of operations and updates on the observatory status and performance, including the JWST calibration pipeline. It will also summarize efforts to engage and keep the community informed and provide updates on the Cycle 4 proposals, including modifications to the Grants program/process, and plans for the Cycle 5 proposals. There will be ample time for the user community to provide feedback and ask questions. The speakers will represent JWST leadership at STScI and NASA.
Speaker | Topic |
---|---|
Jennifer Lotz (STScI, Director) |
|
Macarena Garcia Marin (STScI, JWST Project Scientist) | JWST Science Highlights |
Jane Rigby, NASA GSFC (JWST Senior Project Scientist) |
NASA Project Mission Perspective |
Tom Brown (STScI, JWST Mission Office Head) |
Mission/SOC Status |
Katey Alatalo (STScI, Science Mission Office) |
Cycle 4/5 Timeline |
Refreshments will be provided by Northrop Grumman.
JWST at the STScI Exhibitor Booth
January 12 to 16, during regular booth hours
Visit the STScI booth to meet with staff members who can answer questions on different topics, from JWST's capabilities to proposal and analysis tools. Our expert staff members will be on hand to provide individual assistance on a variety of topics from JWST instrument capabilities to proposal and planning tools (e.g., APT and ETC) to pipeline products and data analysis tools. This year, STScI will offer again informal “JWST Ask-the-Experts” sessions, which are meant to provide individual support and guidance regarding pipeline products, calibration issues, and data analysis tools. JWST users are encouraged to join us for these sessions. In addition, a new evergreen digital JWST Pocket Guide and JWST Observer Card will be available.
Notes
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The NASA James Webb Space Telescope, developed in partnership with ESA and CSA, is operated by AURA’s Space Telescope Science Institute.