Resources for Public Outreach
This page serves as a repository of publicly available resources about the James Webb Space Telescope to support members of the astronomical community in their public outreach and science communication efforts. The content is organized by broad topics that reflect common themes used in public talks. The last section contains links to general resources and example presentations.
To learn more, check out the Science Communication JWebbinar hosted by STScI on March 4, 2026.
GTO Programs by Cycle
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Title Type NASA’s Webb is the largest, most sophisticated telescope ever launched to space. Webb is an international endeavor. Three agencies — NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency — along with many institutions and thousands of committed team members worked for decades to make the observatory a reality. article STScI is Webb’s Science and Operations Center webpage Webb Global Contributor Map image/video Early History webpage Mission Timeline webpage Telescope Overview article What is Webb Observing Now? visualization -
Title Type Infrared “Science Explainer” article/video Webb Conversations: Why Does Webb Use Infrared? Interview How Does Webb See Back in Time? article/video Visible vs Infrared Comparison visualization Visible vs Infrared Comparison (PHANGS Galaxies) article Infrared Detectors article -
Title Type Webb’s Science Themes webpage Graphic Showing Webb’s Science Themes image First 3 Years of Science: 10 Cosmic Surprises from NASA’s Webb Telescope article -
A better-than-expected performance for a record-breaking mission
- Optical quality 2x better than requirements, resulting in sharper images.
- Mirrors 4x more stable than requirements. As a result, corrections are now only needed every few months instead of weeks.
- Guiding is 8x steadier than requirements.
- Instruments are much better than pre-launch estimations.
- Webb is the most sought-after ground- or space-based observatory.
- Proposal submission records:
Fun Facts about Webb
- Mirrors aligned to 10,000x smaller than width of human hair.
- If Webb’s primary mirror was the size of the U.S., operations would routinely find and flatten bumps the size of two stacked pennies.
- Webb’s primary mirror is about 6.6 Minecraft blocks high.
- Guiding is extremely stable, like flying a laser pointer on a drone in D.C. and holding the laser on a dime in San Francisco.
- The precision achieved in measuring a planet’s transit depth (as a function of wavelength) is comparable to finding 50 typos across all of Shakespeare’s works.
- Webb is so powerful, it can detect the heat of a bumblebee as far away as the moon.
- Webb’s gold coating is so thin that a human hair is 1,000 times thicker.
- The total amount of gold on Webb’s mirrors is only about 50 grams (less than 2 ounces, or about the mass of a golf ball), which would fit into a sphere the size of a marble.
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Title Type Webb: A Tale of Precise Construction video NASA's Most Scientifically Complex Space Observatory Requires Precision video Instruments webpage Instruments' Field of View image ISIM (Integrated Science Instrument Module) article Webb’s Mirrors article Webb Sees Its First Star article Webb’s Deployment article Webb’s 8-pointed Stars image Webb’s Sunshield article How Does Webb Stay Cold? article Webb’s Orbit article Mirror Alignment Animations video Webb’s Deployment article Nominal Deployment Sequence video Webb Instrument Animations article MIRI Light Path Animations (MRS and Imaging) video NIRSpec IFU Light Path Animation video Webb vs Hubble video Webb’s Orbit at L2 video Webb’s Field of Regard video -
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Title Type How Do We Communicate with Webb? article Talking with Webb using the Deep Space Network article Deep Space Network Now visualization -
Title Type Example Presentations presentations General Questions About Webb article Explainers Articles (about Webb science and engineering concepts) article How Are Webb’s Full-Color Images Made? article First Images image Latest News article Latest Images image Latest Videos (including data visualizations, animations, and explainer videos) video Webb’s Blog article NASA's Webb Scientific Visualization Studio visualization NASA’s Universe of Learning (resources and experiences to engage your audience) website Webb Media Kit PDF
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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.