Giant Planet Observations with the James Webb Space Telescope

Abstract

This white paper examines the benefit of the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope for studies of the Solar System's four giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. JWST's superior sensitivity, combined with high spatial and spectral resolution, will enable near- and mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopy of these objects with unprecedented quality. In this paper we discuss some of the myriad scientific investigations possible with JWST regarding the giant planets. This discussion is preceded by the specifics of JWST instrumentation most relevant to giant planet observations. We conclude with identification of desired pre-launch testing and operational aspects of JWST that would greatly benefit future studies of the giant planets.

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Cited by in corpus (21)

• Seasonal stratospheric photochemistry on Uranus and Neptune
• Thermochemistry and vertical mixing in the tropospheres of Uranus and Neptune: How convection inhibition can affect the derivation of deep oxygen abundances
• Jupiter Science Enabled by ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
• Atmospheric chemistry on Uranus and Neptune
• Photochemistry, mixing and transport in Jupiter's stratosphere constrained by Cassini
• Titan Science with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
• Cometary Science with the James Webb Space Telescope
• Herschel map of Saturn's stratospheric water, delivered by the plumes of Enceladus
• The James Webb Space Telescopes plan for operations and instrument capabilities for observations in the Solar System
• The deep composition of Uranus and Neptune from in situ exploration and thermochemical modeling
• Saturn atmospheric dynamics one year after Cassini: Long-lived features and time variations in the drift of the Hexagon
• Jupiter's Para-H${}_2$ Distribution from SOFIA/FORCAST and Voyager/IRIS 17-37 $\mu$m Spectroscopy
• The quest for H${}_3^{+}$ at Neptune: deep burn observations with NASA IRTF iSHELL
• Temporal and spatial variations of the absolute reflectivity of Jupiter and Saturn from 0.38 to 1.7 $\mu$m with PlanetCam-UPV/EHU
• Evidence for auroral influence on Jupiter's nitrogen and oxygen chemistry revealed by ALMA
• Longitudinal Variations in the Stratosphere of Uranus from the Spitzer Infrared Spectrometer
• A novel strategy to seek bio-signatures at Enceladus and Europa
• Mid-Infrared Observations of the Giant Planets
• 18-year long monitoring of the evolution of H2O vapor in the stratosphere of Jupiter with the Odin space telescope
• Saturn's Seasonal Atmosphere at Northern Summer Solstice
• Refining Saturn's deuterium-hydrogen ratio via IRTF/TEXES spectroscopy