Instrument Overview

Designed to answer the biggest questions in astrophysics, the instrument cluster of the James Webb Space Telescope, built by NASA, is an extraordinary scientific marvel of the twenty first century.  There are four primary instruments contained within the integrated science instrument module (ISIM) specially designed to observe infrared light, which is invisible to human eyes.

The Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) is the main imaging system.  NIRCam will look back in time to study the formation of the earliest stars and galaxies.  One aspect of its design is an engineered method to block light from a bright object so that a much dimmer object nearby might be observed.  In this regard, we can think about the challenges of trying to observe a planet around a distant star.  The star is blinding to most telescopes and all potential planets are "hidden" in the glare, but NIRCam might perform as no other telescope can and will study light passing through a distant planet's atmosphere.

Simulated Launch and Mission Plan

See More James Webb Telescope Images

Stephan's Quartet - a collection of five galaxies, four of which are in close proximity.