Planets, moons, and rings from the James Webb Space Telescope during Guaranteed Time Observations

Now that Webb has launched, successfully deployed, and reached its destination at L2, we can outline the plans for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) guaranteed time observations (GTO). Heidi Hammel’s cycle 1 GTO programs focused on Solar System science include detailed time-resolved compositional mapping of the Martian surface, short- and medium-term climate monitoring of the giant planets, and exploratory spectroscopic studies of the full menagerie of asteroids and comets, from near-Earth objects to the Kuiper belt. These programs are designed to be benchmark observations for the JWST mission. In this talk I will introduce JWST, its capabilities for the Solar System and some of the science it will accomplish during its first year of operation. The focus will be on planetary systems with Ice Giant atmospheres as a detailed example.