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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/astro-webb-at-l2

Where does the James Webb Space Telescope operate?

Near L2, orbiting the Sun about 1.5 million km from Earth.

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  1. Near L2, 1.5 million km from Earth ✔
  2. In low Earth orbit like Hubble
  3. On the far side of the Moon

Why: At the second Lagrange point Webb stays in line with Earth as both circle the Sun. Its sunshield then blocks the Sun, Earth and Moon at once, keeping the telescope cold enough to see faint infrared.

Huh, didn't know that: Webb took roughly 30 days to reach L2 after its December 25, 2021 launch.

The dad joke
Webb went a million miles to get some peace and quiet. Very cool of it.
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References

Answer: Near L2, 1.5 million km from Earth. At the second Lagrange point Webb stays in line with Earth as both circle the Sun. Its sunshield then blocks the Sun, Earth and Moon at once, keeping the telescope cold enough to see faint infrared.

  1. NASA Webb, Webb's Orbit science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/orbit
    orbits the Sun, 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) away from the Earth at what is called the second Lagrange point or L2.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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