The weather has not been conducive to imaging the James Webb Space Telescope.
I have tried remote telescopes, but they have had weather issues, and are in big demand.
Today a 20" Planewave was free at just the right time in Siding Spring, Australia
so I got 6 x 120 seconds.
Large gif, different orientation, JWST close to centre.
Stack of all 6 images.
Youtube video:
Predicted
coordinates
Jan-01
(12:30 UK time) 06 17 19.86 +00 54 10.0 (23:30 Siding Spring time)
Site
location South 31° 16' 24" : East 149° 03' 52" 1135m
Observed - measured by Pinpoint mag
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.51832 06 17 20.93 +00 54 09.6
14.0 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.51998 06 17 20.21 +00 54 10.4 15.5 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.52158 06 17 19.28 +00 54 11.2 15.0 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.52318 06 17 18.65 +00 54 11.8 13.9 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.52479 06 17 17.90 +00 54 12.5 14.9 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.52639 06 17 17.11 +00 54 13.2 14.0 R
Total rate = 1.97 deg/day or 4.925 arcsec/min, PA = 273.57
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.51998 06 17 20.21 +00 54 10.4 15.5 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.52158 06 17 19.28 +00 54 11.2 15.0 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.52318 06 17 18.65 +00 54 11.8 13.9 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.52479 06 17 17.90 +00 54 12.5 14.9 R
TMP0005 C2022 01 01.52639 06 17 17.11 +00 54 13.2 14.0 R
Total rate = 1.97 deg/day or 4.925 arcsec/min, PA = 273.57
January 2nd
From Siding spring again - 4 by 300 seconds.
January 1st and January 2nd
JWST has taken a curved path between the two positions - perhaps like this:
January 3rd
I investigated the path that JWST would have taken across the sky - my guess above was way off.
This is for January 1st to the 2nd
and from December 31st to January 27th
As the Earth rotates, the observatory will go round a circle every 24 hours,
hence parallax will make JWST appear to oscillate in its motion.
January 5th
At last clear skies above Bromsgrove. JWST captured with a series of 30 second images.
15 images of 120 seconds. JWST seems to fluctuate wildly in brightness. Other videos from
the UK taken at the same time also show this peculiar phenomenon.
Look to the right of JWST - an asteroid is photobombing the scene.
I searched and identified it:
The other asteroid, 2000 HQ42 was also in the frame.
January 7th
This is the second video capture from Bromsgrove.
Clouds stopped the session rather early but I managed 8 x 60 seconds.
Timings, coordinates and magnitudes:
2022 01 07.86543 06 29 50.56 +01 21 12.1 14.6 R
2022 01 07.86635 06 29 50.43 +01 21 12.6 14.5 R
2022 01 07.86728 06 29 50.29 +01 21 13.3 14.3 R
2022 01 07.86819 06 29 50.16 +01 21 13.7 14.2 R
2022 01 07.86926 06 29 49.99 +01 21 14.4 14.0 R
2022 01 07.87017 06 29 49.84 +01 21 15.3 14.0 R
2022 01 07.87110 06 29 49.67 +01 21 15.4 14.2 R
2022 01 07.87201 06 29 49.55 +01 21 16.7 14.2 R
JWST seems even brighter than before at around 14.2.
Astrometrica gave 13.9:
January 8th
Clear skies again so JWST was the target. 20 x 120 second images.
Average magnitude of 20 images = 16.4
January 11th
JWST very bright - not accurate photometry, but nevertheless - bright!
January 12th
Longest run of images of JWST so far - 50 x 120 seconds.
The brightness fluctuation is still evident. This plots the JWST magnitude, with a nearby star as a control:
January 13th
Some mist and fog, but JWST still observable.
25 x 120 seconds
Magnitudes fainter than on previous nights, but still wide swings in brightness:
mag
2022 01 13.84441 06 39 29.65 +02 33 12.9 16.6 R
2022 01 13.84602 06 39 29.49 +02 33 14.3 16.7 R
2022 01 13.84764 06 39 29.32 +02 33 15.6 16.5 R
2022 01 13.84925 06 39 29.13 +02 33 17.0 16.2 R
2022 01 13.85087 06 39 28.82 +02 33 20.2 18.9 R
2022 01 13.85248 06 39 28.78 +02 33 20.1 17.4 R
2022 01 13.85410 06 39 28.60 +02 33 21.1 17.1 R
2022 01 13.85572 06 39 28.39 +02 33 22.6 18.3 R
2022 01 13.85733 06 39 28.23 +02 33 24.1 16.3 R
2022 01 13.85895 06 39 27.99 +02 33 25.7 15.6 R
2022 01 13.86056 06 39 27.81 +02 33 27.0 18.1 R
2022 01 13.86218 06 39 27.60 +02 33 28.5 16.6 R
2022 01 13.86378 06 39 27.41 +02 33 29.5 16.8 R
2022 01 13.86539 06 39 27.18 +02 33 31.0 18.0 R
2022 01 13.86701 06 39 26.98 +02 33 32.7 17.4 R
2022 01 13.86862 06 39 26.77 +02 33 33.9 15.9 R
2022 01 13.87024 06 39 26.56 +02 33 35.2 16.7 R
2022 01 13.87186 06 39 26.35 +02 33 36.7 16.9 R
2022 01 13.87348 06 39 26.12 +02 33 38.0 16.9 R
2022 01 13.87509 06 39 25.93 +02 33 39.3 17.7 R
2022 01 13.87671 06 39 25.66 +02 33 40.8 16.9 R
2022 01 13.87832 06 39 25.44 +02 33 42.3 16.4 R
2022 01 13.87994 06 39 25.20 +02 33 43.8 16.8 R
2022 01 13.88155 06 39 24.98 +02 33 44.9 16.4 R
2022 01 13.88317 06 39 24.74 +02 33 46.3 16.5 R
January 14th
Some have reported that the variation in brightness seems to be repeated:
.I tried an overlay - it does not seem to be true for my images:
I made a stacked image - the curve in the path is easily seen:
January 17th
JWST now even dimmer:
January 19th
JWST dimmer still.
Magnitudes 16 to 18
2022 01 19.84541 06 49 06.31 +03 52 31.6 17.6
2022 01 19.84703 06 49 06.12 +03 52 33.5 17.6
2022 01 19.84865 06 49 05.98 +03 52 34.5 16.8
2022 01 19.85025 06 49 05.81 +03 52 36.2 16.2
2022 01 19.85188 06 49 05.65 +03 52 37.8 17.3
2022 01 19.85348 06 49 05.46 +03 52 39.2 16.0
2022 01 19.85510 06 49 05.32 +03 52 40.6 16.5
2022 01 19.85671 06 49 05.15 +03 52 42.4 18.2
2022 01 19.85833 06 49 04.97 +03 52 44.2 17.3
2022 01 19.85994 06 49 04.77 +03 52 45.9 17.4
2022 01 19.86156 06 49 04.58 +03 52 47.0 17.2
2022 01 19.86317 06 49 04.39 +03 52 49.2 17.5
2022 01 19.86479 06 49 04.21 +03 52 50.4 19.2
2022 01 19.86640 06 49 04.04 +03 52 51.5 18.0
2022 01 19.86802 06 49 03.81 +03 52 52.9 17.5
2022 01 19.86970 06 49 03.60 +03 52 55.4 17.9
2022 01 19.87131 06 49 03.38 +03 52 56.9 17.7
2022 01 19.87475 06 49 02.95 +03 53 00.7 17.2
2022 01 19.87650 06 49 02.77 +03 53 01.2 17.0
Rate = 0.55 deg/day or 1.375 arcsec/min, PA = 299.59
January 20th
Only one image had a trace of JWST:
I tried a few 1200 second images - nothing seen at all.
I checked time and coordinates several times in case I was aiming at the wrong place.
