Learning JWST Data Analysis With the JWebbinars
STScI hosts JWebbinars to teach the JWST community about tools and methods to analyze data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Each JWebbinar provides virtual, hands-on instruction on common data analysis methods for JWST observations.
Typical JWebbinar topics include:
- Overview of data analysis tools and data products
- The JWST pipeline for imaging
- The JWST pipeline for spectroscopy
- Analyzing IFUs and spectral cubes
- Analyzing MIRI photometry
- Analyzing time series spectroscopy
- Accessing data in MAST
The JWebbinars are led by experts from STScI and the JWST Observer community. Participants are given hands-on experience with the data analysis tools. A virtual programming environment is provided so that participants will not be required to install software prior to attending the event.
The JWST data analysis ecosystem is based on Python and it is recommend that participants be familiar with basic Python coding and the Jupyter notebook interface to get the most out of the JWebbinars.
JWebbinar Registration
To register for a JWebbinar, please click on the links in the Information & Registration section below. After registration closes, you will receive an email with instructions pertaining to your particular JWebbinar. NOTE: This email and others from the organizer will come from from jwebbinars AT stsci DOT edu. Please make sure your spam filter does not block emails from this address. You will also receive an email with a Slack invitation, as there will be a Slack channel for the JWebbinar. Lastly, you will receive an email from Webex with the link to connect to the meeting.
Recordings of the JWebbinars and the accompanying material will be made available shortly after the class meets. Even if you plan to only use the offline material, if you register you will receive an email when the materials are posted to this website. Materials and Videos are available below.
If you have questions about the JWebbinars, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions or contact the JWST Help Desk.
JWebbinar Schedule and Materials
| JWebbinar | Content | Dates | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 - Planning Solar System Observations with JWST | JWST is capable of observing the majority of solar system objects found beyond the Earth's orbit, such as asteroids, giant planets and their satellites, comets, and trans-Neptunian objects. Solar system targets may present additional challenges when planning observations, such as their apparent rates of motion, proximity to bright sources, or ephemeris uncertainties. This JWebbinar will focus on how to use available tools to determine valid observing windows for solar system targets, estimate signal-to-noise ratios for extended sources in the ETC, as well as create solar system targets, visualize target ephemerides, and specify constraints in APT. | September 17, 11 am-1 pm (US Eastern Time) |
Registration closes September 13 |
| 36 - What’s New in JWST Cycle 4 | This JWebbinar will cover updates in Cycle 4 to JWST proposal preparation tools and policies of which JWST proposers should be aware. We will discuss updates to the Astronomer’s Proposal Tool (APT), the Exposure Time Calculator (ETC), and the duplicate observation checking tool. We will also cover changes in the Call for Proposals, including the reduction of page limits and revisions to size and science categories. | September 10, 11 am-1 pm (US Eastern Time) |
Registration closes September 6. |
| 35 - NIRCam Short-wavelength Grisms: A Primer for TSOs | This webinar will cover implementation of time series observations using NIRCam's Dispersed Hartmann Sensor (DHS) grisms in the short-wavelength channel, which are being introduced for JWST Cycle 4. The DHS enables 0.6 to 2.3 µm low resolution spectroscopy simultaneously with the long-wavelength grism (2.4 to 5.0 µm) for NIRCam Grism Time Series Observations. The capability improves the bright limit for such observations, and relies on rather novel new subarray operations. Technical aspects of proposal planning will be highlighted, and a few scientific use cases of relatively bright transiting exoplanets will be presented. | August 29, 11 am-1 pm (US Eastern Time) | No registration required. Join the meeting |
| 34 - Introduction to WebbPSF: Modeling the Inflight PSF for JWST | In this JWebbinar, we will cover the basics about simulating Webb’s PSF by using the inflight measurements of the optical performance of the telescope via Optical Path Difference files. Then we will introduce different tools and functions that allow the user to setup their simulations directly from the observations, to understand how the optical performance of the telescope might affect PSFs in science data and, finally, to use WebbPSF simulations to perform basic operations in science observations like PSF subtraction. | July 16, 10 am-12 pm (US Eastern Time) |
Registration is closed |
| 33 - JWST NIRSpec MOS Data Reduction | This webinar will cover NIRSpec MOS (multi-object spectroscopy) data reduction by the JWST pipeline with example notebooks. We will cover recent pipeline updates that deliver improved spectra with default settings. We will also discuss lingering caveats, workarounds, and techniques to reprocess data, including editing the MSA metafile and master background subtraction. | June 27, 10 am-12 pm (US Eastern Time) | Registration is closed |
| 32 - JWST Data Analysis with Jdaviz | Introduction to the Jdaviz visualization package. Presenters will provide examples of the latest developed features available in the various configurations (Specviz, Cubeviz, Mosviz, Imviz, and Specviz2d) and will guide attendees through basic and advanced workflows to analyze JWST spectra and images. | May 22, 10 am-12 pm (US Eastern Time) | Registration is closed |
| 31 - Pipeline Reprocessing of JWST Imaging Data | This webinar will give an overview of the JWST science calibration pipeline and demonstrate how to process JWST NIRCam and MIRI Imaging observations from uncalibrated images to drizzled mosaics. The webinar will include examples on running the pipeline with custom settings, and also show how to incorporate manual processing to address common imaging issues. |
February 15, 10 am-12 pm (US Eastern Time) February 16, 2-4 pm (US Eastern Time) |
Registration is closed
|
| 30 - MOS Planning with MPT using an Example Science Case | The MSA Planning Tool (MPT) can be used to create NIRSpec multi-object spectroscopy (MOS) observations that achieve desired science goals. Using a real science program as an example the presenter will demonstrate how instrument and observational constraints inform MOS planning strategies in MPT. |
January 23, 10 am-12 pm (US Eastern Time) January 24, 3-5 pm (US Eastern Time) |
Registration is closed |
| JWebbinar | Materials | Videos |
|---|---|---|
| 35 - NIRCam Short-wavelength Grisms: A Primer for TSOs |
Link to presentation: The example APT file is available to retrieve within APT: File>Retrieve from STScI>Retrieve using Program ID 38.
|
Coming soon |
| 34 - Introduction to WebbPSF: Modeling the Inflight PSF for JWST |
Link to presentation: Link to notebook in PDF: Github for the notebook: |
|
| 33 - JWST NIRSpec MOS Data Reduction |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF: Github for the notebooks: |
|
| 32 - JWST Data Analysis with Jdaviz |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF:
Github for the notebooks: |
|
| 31 - Pipeline Reprocessing of JWST Imaging Data |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF: Github for the notebooks: |
|
| 30 - MOS Planning with MPT using an Example Science Case |
Link to presentation:
|
|
| 29 - JWST NIRSpec Time-Series Observations: From Uncalibrated Data to Transit Light Curves using CalWebb |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF: Github for the notebooks |
|
| 28 - Pipeline Reprocessing of Integral Field Unit Spectroscopy |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF: Github for the MRS and NIRSpec notebooks (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 27 - Introduction to the Astronomer's Proposal Tool for JWST for Cycle 3 |
Link to presentation: |
|
| 26 - Introduction to the JWST Exposure Time Calculator for Cycle 3 |
Link to presentation: |
|
| 25 - MAST: The JWST Data Archive |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF: Github for the notebooks |
|
|
24 - Jdaviz, the Visualization Tool for JWST |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF (note the tool does not render in PDF):
Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
|
23 - PDRs4ALL: Community Telecons in Support of JWST Cycle 2 Proposals |
Materials and recordings are posted on https://pdrs4all.org/meeting-announcements/ | |
|
22 - NIRSpec and MIRI: Lessons Learned from Commissioning (December 2022) |
Links to presentations: |
|
|
21 - NIRISS and NIRCam: Lessons Learned from Commissioning (November 2022) |
Links to presentatons: |
|
| 20 - JWST Science Use Cases (November 2022) |
Link to presentation: Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 19 - ERS: Reducing & Analyzing JWST Coronagraphic Data with spaceKLIP (October 2022) |
Link to presentation: |
|
| 18 - JWST Pipeline Refresher (October 2022) |
Links to presentations:
Links to notebooks in PDF:
Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 17 - MAST: Retrieving and Downloading Data (September 2022) |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 16 - JWST Time Series Observations: Performance and Caveats (July 2022) | Download the presentation in PDF | |
| 15 - PDRs4all - Simulate NIRCam Observations of an Extended Source (June 2022) |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 14 - Q3D: Fitting Spectra and Data Cubes of Galaxies and Quasars (April 2022) |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF:
Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) and installation instructions |
|
| 13 - CEERS NIRCam and MIRI Imaging (February 2022) |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 12 - JWST Pipeline 101 | This webinar was a condensed version of JWebbinar 1, 3, and 4. Check out the materials and videos from those sessions provided above. | |
|
11 - Time-Series Observations (November 2021) |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF format: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
|
10 - Simulations with MIRAGE and MIRISim (November 2021) |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF format: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
|
9 - JWST Science Use Cases (October 2021) |
Link to presentation: Introduction and workflow
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions)
|
|
|
8 - Spectral Analysis for JWST (September 2021) |
Links to notebooks in PDF format:
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
|
7 - NIRSpec MSA (August 2021) |
Link to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF format will be provided when the dataset needed to run them can be made publicly available.
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 6 - NIRCam and MIRI Point-Source Imaging (July 2021) |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF format: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 5 - MIRI and NIRSpec IFU (June 2021) |
Link to presentation: Links to notebooks in PDF format:
Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 4 - Pipeline: Spectroscopic Mode (June 2021) |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF format: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 3 - Pipeline: Imaging Mode (May 2021) |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF format: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
|
2 - Introduction to the JWST Data Analysis Tools (May 2021)
NOTE: The materials presented here for JWebbinar #2 regarding Jdaviz are out-of-date. For an updated JWebbinar presentation on Jdaviz, please view the materials for JWebbinar #24 (from February 2023) below. |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF format (note that GUIs do not render in PDF): Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| 1 - Pipeline Information and Data Products (April 2021) |
Links to presentations: Links to notebooks in PDF format: Download all presentations and notebooks in PDF
Github (refer to the README in the repository for instructions) |
|
| JWebbinar | Content | Dates Held |
|---|---|---|
| 29 - JWST NIRSpec Time-Series Observations: From Uncalibrated Data to Transit Light Curves using CalWebb |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
December 14, 9-11 am (US Eastern Time) December 15, 2-4 pm (US Eastern Time) |
| 28 - Pipeline Reprocessing of Integral Field Unit Spectroscopy | This JWebbinar will focus on how to use the current JWST calibration pipeline to reprocess integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopic data from JWST. The JWebbinar will present the default processing of IFU spectroscopic data, followed by what is often done to reprocess the data. This JWebbinar will cover such topics as modifying parameters for a specific step, adding a non-default step, manipulating parameter files, and more. |
December 5, 9-11 am (US Eastern Time) December 6, 2-4 pm (US Eastern Time) |
| 27 - Introduction to the Astronomer's Proposal Tool for JWST for Cycle 3 | The presenters will describe how to create a basic APT program and the tools available in APT. Topics included will be the form editor, mosaics, visit planner, timeline and Aladin. Moving targets, pure parallels, and the MSA Planning Tool will not be covered in this JWebbinar. |
September 27, 9-11 am (US Eastern Time) September 28, 2-4pm (US Eastern Time) |
| 26 - Introduction to the JWST Exposure Time Calculator for Cycle 3 | This JWebbinar will focus on the Exposure Time Calculator (ETC), one of the possible entry points when constructing a JWST proposal. The ETC provides many options that contemporary calculators do not, which can be both helpful and daunting. The purpose of this JWebbinar is to first walk through ETC usage linearly to obtain results for a straightforward observation of a point source, followed by the inclusion of more advanced ETC features for more complex observations. These advanced features are "modular" in the sense that multiple, or only one, can be used for any given ETC calculation, so the various options will first be presented separately, then combined to represent real use cases. |
September 21, 2-4 pm (US Eastern Time) September 22, 10 am-12 pm (US Eastern Time) |
| 25 - MAST: The JWST Data Archive | Investigators who intend to propose for JWST observations in Cycle 3 will benefit from learning about MAST tools to search for existing or anticipated data that may help their research programs, and to discover potential duplications with observations they would like to make. This JWebbinar will include presentations and notebooks for graphical and scripted queries of MAST holdings, and tips for evaluating potential duplications. We will also offer tips and advice for retrieving JWST data, and provide links to documents and other resources for visualizing advanced JWST data products. There will be ample time during the workshop for participant questions and answers. |
September 19, 9-11 am (US Eastern Time) September 20, 2-4pm (US Eastern Time) |
| 24 - Jdaviz, the Visualization Tool for JWST | Introduction to the Jdaviz visualization package. The presenters will describe the newest features available in the various configurations (Specviz, Cubeviz, Mosviz, Imviz, and Specviz2d) and will guide the attendees through basic and advanced workflows to analyze JWST spectra and images. |
February 13, 2023 - 2 pm (EST) February 14, 2023 - 11 am (EST) |
| JWebbinar | Content | Dates Held |
|---|---|---|
| 23 - PDRs4ALL: Community Telecons in Support of JWST Cycle 2 Proposals |
As part of ERS proposal 1288: “Radiative Feedback from Massive Stars as Traced by Multiband Imaging and Spectroscopic Mosaics,” we have obtained NIRCam, NIRSpec, and MIRI imaging of the Orion Bar, a bright, extended object that is a concern for saturation with a large number of strong emission lines and high-contrast regions. These community telecons are meant to provide an overview of the “lessons learned” about the data reduction, calibration and data analysis related to this program. Webinar 1: Status of Our ERS Observations (December 1)
|
December 1, 2022, 11 am (EST) December 6, 2022, 11 am (EST) December 16, 2022, 11 am (EST) |
|
22 - NIRSpec and MIRI: Lessons Learned from Commissioning |
Members of the NIRSpec and MIRI instrument teams describe the features and caveats learned during commissioning. This webinar consists of presentations and does not include work on the science platform. | December 7, 2022 - 11 am (EST) |
|
21 - NIRISS and NIRCam: Lessons Learned from Commissioning |
Members of the NIRISS and NIRCam instrument teams describe the features and caveats learned during commissioning. This webinar consists of presentations and does not include work on the science platform. | November 30, 2022 - 11 am (EST) |
| 20 - JWST Science Use Cases |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
November 3, 2022 - 2 pm (EDT) November 4, 2022 - 10 am (EDT) |
| 19 - ERS: Reducing & Analyzing JWST Coronagraphic Data with spaceKLIP |
In coordination with the JWST Early Release Science team for high contrast observations of exoplanets and exoplanetary systems, we are providing a 2-hour presentation and live demonstration of JWST coronagraphic data reduction and analysis using the open-source spaceKLIP Python package. This JWebbinar draws heavily from our experience of working with true on-sky data, and covers:
|
October 28, 2022 - 11 am (EDT) |
| 18 - JWST Pipeline Refresher | This 2-hour JWebbinar covers the basics of the JWST calibration pipeline. Two presentations introduce the calibration pipeline and the calibration reference data system (CRDS). The Jupyter Notebooks from JWebbinar 1, 3, and 4 are available on the science platform for the attendees to practice on and ask questions to the experts on the call. These notebooks feature inflight data from the Early Release Observations. | October 11, 2022 - 2 pm (EDT) October 13, 2022 - 10 am (EDT) |
| 17 - MAST: Retrieving and Downloading Data |
This JWebbinar demonstrates how to search the MAST archive for JWST data. We cover the features of the Portal Interface, customizable programmatic searches through two Jupyter Notebooks, and talk about creating DOIs (as requested by the mission) to promote reproducibility and increase your citation count. We do this in three mini-sessions where you follow along. Each session is followed by dedicated time for Q&A:
|
September 20, 2022 - 10 am (EDT) |
| 16 - JWST Time Series Observations: Performance and Caveats |
This JWebbinar covers:
NOTE: This webinar consists of presentations and does not include work on Jupyter notebooks. |
July 15, 2022 - 11 am (EDT) |
| 15 - PDRs4all: Simulate NIRCam Observations of an Extended Source |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
June 23, 2022 - 10 am (EDT) June 24, 2022 - 10 am. (EDT) |
| 14 - Q3D: Fitting Spectra and Data Cubes of Galaxies and Quasars |
Presentation of the q3dfit tools: a Python data analysis package for continuum and emission-line fitting of IFS data cubes of galaxies and quasars. Participants will:
|
April 7, 2022 - 11 am (EDT) April 8, 2022 - 11 am (EDT) |
| 13 - CEERS NIRCam and MIRI Imaging |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
February 24, 2022 - 10 am (EST) February 25, 2022 - 2 pm (EST)
|
| Virtual AAS239 Workshop: Intro to Data Analysis |
This JWebbinar covers:
The full content can be found at https://github.com/spacetelescope/aas239-jwebbinar |
January 11, 2022 - 1 pm (EST) |
| JWebbinar | Content | Dates Held |
|---|---|---|
| 12 - JWST Pipeline 101 |
This JWebbinar is a condensed version of JWebbinars 1, 3, and 4 and covers:
|
December 1, 2021 - 4 pm (EST) |
| 11 - Time-Series Observations |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
November 30, 2021 - 2:30 pm (EST) |
| 10 - Simulations with MIRAGE and MIRISim |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
November 15, 2021 - 1 pm (EST) November 17, 2021 - 9 am (EST) |
| 9 - JWST Science Use Cases |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
October 27, 2021 - 3 pm (EDT) October 28, 2021 - 9:30 am (EDT) |
| 8 - Spectral Analysis for JWST |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
September 29, 2021 - 9:30 am (EDT) September 30, 2021 - 3:30 pm (EDT) |
| 7 - NIRSpec MSA |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
August 3, 2021 - 3 pm (EDT) August 4, 2021 - 9 am (EDT) August 6, 2021 - 12 pm (EDT) |
| 6 - NIRCam and MIRI Point-Source Imaging |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
July 12, 2021 - 11 am (EDT) July 13, 2021 - 3 pm (EDT) July 14, 2021 - 1 pm (EDT) |
| 5 - MIRI and NIRSpec IFU |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
June 28, 2021 - 1 pm (EDT) June 30, 2021 - 3 pm (EDT) July 1, 2021 - 10 am (EDT) |
| 4 - Pipeline: Spectroscopic Mode |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
June 14, 2021 - 10 am (EDT) June 16, 2021 - 4 pm (EDT) June 17, 2021 - 1 pm (EDT) |
| 3 - Pipeline: Imaging Mode |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
May 27, 2021 - 10 am (EDT) June 1, 2021 - 1 pm (EDT) June 2, 2021 - 4:30 pm (EDT) |
| 2 - Introduction to the JWST Data Analysis Tools |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
May 12, 2021 - 1 pm (EDT) May 13, 2021 - 4 pm (EDT) May 14, 2021 - 10 am (EDT) |
| 1 - Pipeline Information and Data Products |
This JWebbinar covers:
|
August 18, 2021 - 10:30 am (EDT) August 19, 2021 - 2 pm (EDT)
---------
April 28, 2021 - 10 am (EDT) April 29, 2021 - 4 pm (EDT) May 3, 2021 - 1 pm (EDT) |
Q. Why do you limit attendance to JWebbinars?
A. To maximize the interaction between the lecturers and the audience.
Q. What happens if all events are fully booked?
A. You can still register and will be added to a waiting list. If people cancel, we will go down the list to fill their spots. We will also consider organizing additional events to reach as many people as possible.
Q. Who should I contact if I have problems downloading or running the material posted after the event?
A. You can reach out to the JWST Help Desk.
Q. What do I need to set up my computer to use the online material?
A. Instructions can be found in the README file that comes with every webinar.
Q. I filled out the registration form, how do I know which class time to attend?
A. An email will be sent to the address provided with the date and time of the JWebbinar you are registered. If no more slots are available, you will be put on a wait list.
Q. How do I get started with Python?
A. If you're new to Python a great place to start is the official Python getting started page: https://www.python.org/about/gettingstarted/
Below are several resources to get you started learning Python if you are not familiar with Python:
- https://docs.python.org/tutorial/
- https://realpython.com/
- https://docs.python-guide.org/intro/learning/
Or, if you are familiar with Python or similar programming languages, but not the scientific programming ecosystem in Python:
- https://learn.astropy.org/
- https://realpython.com/numpy-tutorial/
- https://github.com/rougier/numpy-100
- https://matplotlib.org/stable/gallery/index.html
Q. How do I use the material on Github?
A. To use the material on github, you will need to download the notebooks to your local directory. You will then need a Python environment set up that is capable of running Jupyter notebooks. If you are new to Python, you may want to review these instructions for some resources on how to install and learn the basics of Python. Depending on your preferences and system choices, you may find the install instructions there sufficient, but note that many scientists find it easier to use the Anaconda Python distribution and package manager.
Each webinar will require a certain set of packages. For detailed instruction, you can refer to the readme files of each JWebbinar branch in the github repository.
Pre-footer
Subscribe to the JWST Observer News Mailing List
Get the latest news delivered directly to your inbox.
The NASA James Webb Space Telescope, developed in partnership with ESA and CSA, is operated by AURA’s Space Telescope Science Institute.