🔴 ERRATA: At 9:55 , F_c should just equal F_⊕y. DUH! Meanwhile, Webb's 18 mirror segments are being aligned to form a single monolithic mirror. Here's how they're doing it: ruclips.net/video/-cUp0AEwV2w/видео.html
A little over a hundred years ago, humanity hadn’t yet made functioning airplanes. Now we have telescopes flying through space taking visible and infrared pictures and sending them back to earth. This is absolutely amazing!
I’m still in awe that scientists can figure out all of these computations, and get Webb to work as planned (after all of the computer simulations and rigorous testing) Seriously amazing! Thanks for the video to help explain all of this. I’ve been wondering how that L2 orbit works since seeing the animations.
My hat's off to them as well. And the L2 stuff confused me a little as well. It wasn't until I ran across a force diagram on Twitter that I smacked my forehead and went "duh..." :)
@@seanriopel3132 very true. During the NASA press conference this week they were taking questions from regular people online and someone asked this woman how long does Webb take to orbit L2. The woman was silent and then said she couldn't hear. They asked her again and she hung up. About 20 min later they asked a man at NASA and you could actually hear someone whisper to him "every 6 months!". Lol. It amazes me how many questions they couldn't answer. Still a good achievement but this has taken 30 years and just a few weeks ago they were trying to convince us it would be a miracle if it worked.
Daniel M! You will be even more delighted when you learn that the mathematician Joseph Louis Lagrange, back in 1772, provided a solution to a mathematical problem from which the existence of these singular points followed. We can say that theoretically the JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE Project began 250 years ago! :)
I didn't find it hard to grasp. I just didn't know that JWSS's orbit (around the sun) is so complicated. And I must be getting senile, somewhere I had it in my head that JWSS was going to be at L4.
Greater than James webb and all that is the modern Smart Phone and Google search engine. James webb is a waste. These guys will never know secrets of how matter was formed, what is infinite space without boundaries... Why go so far, how plant and animal life formed from inorganic elements...
I can only imagine how excited the team was to nail the burns so efficiently, and reward themselves with an extra decade with this amazing tool. All their hard work is really going to pay off for all of us!
You've done a fantastic job simplifying a complex topic into a digestible topic! I'm not an astrophysicist, and really appreciate the effort put into this. I've been wondering it offhand for months now.
I like how this explanation is quite within the grasp of students who are perhaps just in their first or second year of physics in college. While I haven't taken a physics or math class in more than 10 years, i'm happy that I (kind of) can follow what you're saying.
@@steveunderhill5935See the explanation at 4:29 - the Lagrangian points are at best described as metastable, so any objects that may have wandered through there at the right velocity may have lingered, but would be extremely unlikely to stay.
Im pretty well educated and have a doctorate. Watching videos like these is VERY humbling. The scientist and engineers that figure this stuff out are the true Rockstars of our society. 💙
Those who are truly intelligent can acknowledge and realize how much they really don't know or comprehend. The level of math required for these calculations and real world influences on those calculations is truly mind boggling. Somewhere out there, someone is thinking "I wonder what ever happened to that really smart quiet kid from school". He/she is out there figuring out the math to keep a 10 billion satellite operational. I know I am.
*I'm a huge fan of knowing the unknown. That's why I'm watching this video to begin with. But now I have to ask you all an honest question: what information will this mission bring us that helps society here on Earth? Please give me honest answers*
@@jonslg240 Nothing in terms of immediate gratification/needs. This mission will confirm/deny theories in the scientific community about what happened about 100M years after the big bang. Will help us understand theories about dark matter/energy. Will be able to see if exoplanets around other stars have an atmosphere. This mission is looking forward to the needs of humanity many generations from now. "Blessed are old people who plant trees knowing that they shall never sit in the shade of their foliage."
"Until next time.. stay curious my friend." That line comes across so genuine each time. I'm glad I found your channel, every video is so full of detail with a clear explanation. Thank you.
Since the JWST was launched, I've been reading up on lagrange points and L2 halo orbits. I struggled to understand how a halo orbits works. This video is the best video I've seen that explained the physics behind it. Thank you so so much! You have a new subscriber and I will be sure to support your patreon.
Thank you thank you thank you!! I’ve been trying to find an explanation of this “orbiting an empty spot” physics and have been stymied until now! As an engineer I’m familiar with vector forces and the basics of orbital mechanics but I could never understand where the centripetal acceleration toward L2 was coming from. Your animation showing the small frequent thrusts that continually push Webb up the gravitational “hill” toward L2 to counter the tendency to fall back toward earth was also brilliant and makes the whole thing much more intuitive!
How did you end up being an engineer? I don't have an academic degree but I understood this since primary school. Really. This is serious question.. The engineers shouldn't have any problem understanding it, but maybe I have wrong picture of stereotypical engineer.
@jaypixx77 please be kind. I think @sailorgeer would have come up with something similar given enough time and collaboration. It took a lot of both to make this happen and I think sailorgeer was being humble.
@@JayPixx Because he's an engineer and not a know it all in astrophysics we are doomed? More likely we are doomed if we have more ppl like you around. You understood the L2 point since primary school? That's a lie
*I'm a huge fan of knowing the unknown. That's why I'm watching this video to begin with. But now I have to ask you all an honest question: what information will this mission bring us that helps society here on Earth? Please give me honest answers*
I like that you're telling us that these are still simplified calculation. It seems like the real thing is WAY more complicated than what can be explained in one video.
Thanks for making an insanely complicated subject understandable for those of us not born with Einstein brains! I now understand the physics behind this now thanks to you. You just earned a subscriber!
Simply Incredible!!! We have all waited a long,long time for Webb to get on the job. But it was worth it! The performance of the Webb team was a scientific tour de force! Who says that science is boring and cannot be art?
Once again you manage to present the amazing engineering of Webb in a great and illuminating way. Thanks for your videos, the go-to place for Webb-info.
First detailed video about Webb I have ever seen .Exposes the mind blowing hard work the engineers and scientists did which is worth the 100 US dollars price especially after the first photos were taken. Everyone on earth should know this work of miracle and art
What a joy your lectures must have been to your students! This was so easy to assimilate! Thank you! I haven't "liked and subscribed" this fast in a very long time!
Well done Christian! This is the most detailed, easy to understand and accurate description of L2 yet. There are some really good vids on L2 out there but yours paints the clearest picture yet. I take my hat off to you sir!
Yes I must admit I had my ideas about Lagrange points completely wrong, I thought they were like a gravity well without an object at the center. The centrifugal force thing really made it clear, good job
Great video! Thank you for covering Webb and getting this info to the public in such an easy to understand way! I worked the design of the Sunshield for 14 years at NG and it is great to see all the public interest in Webb. Thanks for all your videos!
Remember there were hundreds of engineers that worked on this observatory and some that continue to work on it in the background to make sure that in 6 months the mirrors can finally capture the first images.
Wow what an explaination, thank you for simplifying it for us. This was too awesome. Even in this simple version it is mind blowing all the calculations you all figured out. This human is proud of you all. What an accomplishment!
Fantastic, have been searching for simplified (but not glossing over) description of how Halo orbits at L2 work and how JWST will station keep. your force diagrams and 'staying on the Earth side of the saddle" did the trick. thanks
Lucid explanation, with just enough deconstruction to maximize layman understanding of these complex orbital dynamics without sacrificing any significant scientific accuracy. What a work of mathematical and engineering genius, Webb. Thank you!
You explain stuff that needs to be explained in order to understand what's really going on behind the scene. While there are others who do decent job, your videos always offer that intuitive understanding. Being coherent while handling complex topics and make it palatable to people who haven't studied the subject is top notch journalistic talent. 👏
Thank you!!!!!! Wondering about how this orbit works has been keeping me awake at night for the past few months. I finally understand it enough to be content. Thanks man
Thank you Christian for best and the most comprehensive explanation of the gravitational and other forces acting on Webb! Your vector diagrams and illustrations are spectacular.
Thank you for such a great explanation of such a complicated subject. I find it incredible that LaGrange figured out in the 1700's the gravitation effects of these points in space, and that we are able to use the same maths as him to keep the JWST in position. The more I learn about the universe, the more marvelous it becomes.
Thank you very much. As a science fiction fan, I have seen references to LaGrange points and had a fuzzy understanding. This has cleared things up immensely, well taught sir!
Thank you for the in-depth explanation about this, I was kind of head scratching about "Orbiting Nothing" And it's pretty amazing that they can do these calculations to make this all work out. Love your channel and keep up the awesome videos and explanations.
One of my favourite youtubers! You do more than simply dish out information. I feel like you teach me things in a way I'm able to remember, recall, and apply. Also one of the best at weaving sponsorship in a way that's practical, seamless, and relevant. Other youtubers should copy this! CHEERS!
Wow! What an amazing explenation of a problem that never even occured to me in all of the other videos and articles about the jwt. I'm absolutely blown away by everthing about this mission. A true milestone in human history.
Thank you so much for the lucid explanation into the whole exercise of the Webb being put into an around L2 of Sun & Earth! This one program has demystified so many vagueness & doubts I had about the whole topic of Webb orbiting L2. Thank you also to show how useful an apparently enigmatic topic like centrifugal force could become 😁 👏
You're very welcome! I was always content with the discussion of gravitational potentials, but then I saw it described with a simple force diagram and I just smacked my forehead and said, "duh!" :)
this is the video I was looking for since I first heard about lagrange points. THE most clear explanation so far. I finally understand what's going on and I didn't even watch half of the video. THANK YOU!!!
Finally!! An explanation of L2 that I could follow and, for the most part, understand. The analogy of balancing a marble on a saddle was excellent and made things click for me. Many thanks!!
I was wondering about this orbit for a while, then I found this video and as soon as I saw the diagram I understood. Really well explained, obviously oversimplified but a great entry level explanation.
Thank you for this explanation and especially for not putting in a bunch of background music, your explanation was great and gave me a much better understanding of Webb's orbit and why it is at that point.
It amazes me that there are people out there that can figure all this kind of stuff out. It also makes me glad to be a biologist and not an astrophysicist.
I'd like to suggest a similar video (someday) explaining how missions like Lunar Prospector and LCROSS used changes in orbital velocity to measure density variations on the Moon, etc. I understand the basics of how that works, but would love to see the details explained this clearly. Really enjoyed seeing the force vectors analyzed! Thanks!
I've always been so interested in space exploration and technology since I was a kid and this absolutely blows my mind. The bright minds that dreamed this up are truly inspiring.
Excellent video! Wonderful explanation and very helpful illustrations! The engineering that went into the James Webb Space Telescope is truly incredible, and it is fascinating to learn about all the things that scientists and engineers had to figure out when designing the JWST.
Thanks for explaining this, I was always disappointed when other videos about JWST didn't address its orbit, mentioning it without any explanations. So I tried to figure it out in my head, and I'm glad I got it right, it's exactly how I imagined :) I imagined there to be an imaginary rod connecting sun-earth-L2, which attracts because the gravity of the two bodies aligns. And an orbit around it, slightly closer than L2 because of the misalignment, balancing that attraction.
I've been wondering about exactly this, cos if you could just circle around nothing wouldn't the Ptolemaic system be perfectly plausible... Thank you for taking the time to explain, and, generally, for your informative and enjoyable videos.
Did the Ptolemaic system not came up with the concept of epicycles; Planets orbitting a point that orbitted the earth, just to explain retrograde movement of the outer planets. One could ( with some fantasy) say, the JW telescope is orbitting in an epicycle.
@pyropulse ???? the ptolemaic system was used in astrology and when Copernicus wanted to match the observations with the math's of the model he came to the conclusion the model did not work. As a religieus man of his time he wanted to unravel the perfect math behind Gods Creation. Just because the ptolemaic model was not 100% correct to construct horoscopes, it set Copernicus on the path to the heliocentric model. I don't know who uses the ptolemaic model nowadays, but is certainly not NASA.
This was my first time watching your channel. All I can say is, wow! You do such a great job of explainging exceedingly complex ideas for everyone to understand. Great job! New subscriber here!
Thank you so much, I spent a lot of time trying to find the answer to this very question and came up blank. I really appreciate your team taking the time and effort to make this video.
Thank you very much for the presentation! Since the telescope is a) orbiting all the time, and b) needs to move its angles to correct for the radiation' pressure and avoid direct light from the Sun, how it can stay still in order to receive all the light (infrared at least) from the oldest galaxies in the Universe, which is ultimately Webbs main goal. Thank you very much for your answer!
Thank you for posting this. I've shared on FB to others asking this question. I posed this question last week to either your site - or perhaps it was Dr. Becky's site. I don't remember. But, regardless, I'm sure others wondered how this was achieved. Thanks!
I was waiting this explanation for a very long time! This video finally answered my questions which I had after watching dozen of other videos about Lagrange points. Please make similar video explaining L4/L5. Why hilltop is more stable than saddle?
Whoa, the force vectors really cleared the mechanics of the "orbiting empty space". I guess it would be kinda similar to dangling a ball on a long string, and waving it a little to make it move in a circle.
Great video!! I really like how you point out every single thing you neglect for the sake of simplicity. Every time I asked myself "but wait, what about X" You immediately said, as if hearing me "We neglect X intentionally". Great, simple (as much as possible) explanation. Subscribed.
I remember learning about L2 for astrophysics olympiad in highschool. We just learnt that the force required to maintain orbit is the same as the gravity from sun and earth, so it acts like an earth synchronous orbit around sun. This video showed all the intricacies of it.
Actually, after watching this video, I suddenly realize that. The effort that we make to understand this as a normal guy is great. But the effort of the scientists who work on this project is uncountable. So that we can not find an easy way to understand it, we have to spend time on it Another thing that impressed me in this video is the attitude of the speaker. Thanks for your effort in spending time on this video!!!
🔴 ERRATA: At 9:55 , F_c should just equal F_⊕y. DUH! Meanwhile, Webb's 18 mirror segments are being aligned to form a single monolithic mirror. Here's how they're doing it: ruclips.net/video/-cUp0AEwV2w/видео.html
I think you meant F_c_halo instead of F_c. The diagram helped me immensely anyway.
Errata to my errata :)
Great Video, very helpful. I learned something new today !
@@LaunchPadAstronomy Yay science at work. Find a mistake, correct it and move forward!!!😆
Does "bary" mean invisible?
A little over a hundred years ago, humanity hadn’t yet made functioning airplanes. Now we have telescopes flying through space taking visible and infrared pictures and sending them back to earth. This is absolutely amazing!
well most of the population is not that knowledgable including me 🙁
We already had space exploration 50y ago (manned )
MY QUESTION IS: why now and not 500 or 3000 years ago? why not 7 000 years ago? WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING?
@@irisbaez1972 Killing each other.
@@ExplodingPsyche same as today right? So we haven't changed at all. Why do we call us Humans or better yet: Men or Women?
I’m still in awe that scientists can figure out all of these computations, and get Webb to work as planned (after all of the computer simulations and rigorous testing) Seriously amazing! Thanks for the video to help explain all of this. I’ve been wondering how that L2 orbit works since seeing the animations.
My hat's off to them as well. And the L2 stuff confused me a little as well. It wasn't until I ran across a force diagram on Twitter that I smacked my forehead and went "duh..." :)
It's even crazier that we have been doing this before all the fancy computers we have today
Super computers help a lot
@@seanriopel3132 very true. During the NASA press conference this week they were taking questions from regular people online and someone asked this woman how long does Webb take to orbit L2. The woman was silent and then said she couldn't hear. They asked her again and she hung up. About 20 min later they asked a man at NASA and you could actually hear someone whisper to him "every 6 months!". Lol. It amazes me how many questions they couldn't answer. Still a good achievement but this has taken 30 years and just a few weeks ago they were trying to convince us it would be a miracle if it worked.
Daniel M! You will be even more delighted when you learn that the mathematician Joseph Louis Lagrange, back in 1772, provided a solution to a mathematical problem from which the existence of these singular points followed.
We can say that theoretically the JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE Project began 250 years ago! :)
The fact that this is so oversimplified and still pretty hard to grasp is scary. Such things are a major feat of human intelligence and hard work
yaap.
Shame NASA is using DEI standards to hire now. We will no longer have people hired because they are the best and brightest.
I didn't find it hard to grasp. I just didn't know that JWSS's orbit (around the sun) is so complicated. And I must be getting senile, somewhere I had it in my head that JWSS was going to be at L4.
Sadly didn't get to learn anything in this video at least someone somewhere did tho
Greater than James webb and all that is the modern Smart Phone and Google search engine. James webb is a waste. These guys will never know secrets of how matter was formed, what is infinite space without boundaries... Why go so far, how plant and animal life formed from inorganic elements...
Thanks!
I can only imagine how excited the team was to nail the burns so efficiently, and reward themselves with an extra decade with this amazing tool. All their hard work is really going to pay off for all of us!
The European Space Agency launch was literally perfect. Literally ... perfect.
indeed
Your explanations simply cannot get any better. Crystal clear and informative
Well, thank you so very much, I really appreciate it!
amen! Very well presented!
Thank You for speaking on a technical level I can easily understand.
@@LaunchPadAstronomy
I agree, thanks for the very informative video. Perfectly understandable and to the point. Very well done thank you. 😃
I mean I still couldn't follow half way through but yes this is probably as clear as it gets.
6:27 "JWST could use nuclear power, but that's expensive and hard to do."
Admit it, that's a pretty funny thing to say in a video about the JWST.
You've done a fantastic job simplifying a complex topic into a digestible topic! I'm not an astrophysicist, and really appreciate the effort put into this. I've been wondering it offhand for months now.
I like how this explanation is quite within the grasp of students who are perhaps just in their first or second year of physics in college. While I haven't taken a physics or math class in more than 10 years, i'm happy that I (kind of) can follow what you're saying.
I've seen a lot of videos explaining JWST's orbit. This one is by far the most clear and easy to understand, and with great detail as well. Thank you!
Agree
If there is a stable orbit, why was a dusty ice chunk/rock not already there?
and yet again my tiny brain could not understand. No doubt all this is rocket science
@@steveunderhill5935See the explanation at 4:29 - the Lagrangian points are at best described as metastable, so any objects that may have wandered through there at the right velocity may have lingered, but would be extremely unlikely to stay.
@@steveunderhill5935 Because it would have to had have exactly the right energy and momentum.
Absolutely the best explanation I've heard about Webb's very complicated and complex orbit.
Im pretty well educated and have a doctorate. Watching videos like these is VERY humbling. The scientist and engineers that figure this stuff out are the true Rockstars of our society. 💙
Agreed!
Lol same..I thought I was smart… but this is on a whole new level! The more I learn about JWT creation and launch the more I’m blown away.
Those who are truly intelligent can acknowledge and realize how much they really don't know or comprehend. The level of math required for these calculations and real world influences on those calculations is truly mind boggling. Somewhere out there, someone is thinking "I wonder what ever happened to that really smart quiet kid from school". He/she is out there figuring out the math to keep a 10 billion satellite operational. I know I am.
*I'm a huge fan of knowing the unknown. That's why I'm watching this video to begin with. But now I have to ask you all an honest question: what information will this mission bring us that helps society here on Earth? Please give me honest answers*
@@jonslg240 Nothing in terms of immediate gratification/needs. This mission will confirm/deny theories in the scientific community about what happened about 100M years after the big bang. Will help us understand theories about dark matter/energy. Will be able to see if exoplanets around other stars have an atmosphere. This mission is looking forward to the needs of humanity many generations from now. "Blessed are old people who plant trees knowing that they shall never sit in the shade of their foliage."
That "stay curious my friend" at the end felt so genuine, thanks for the great explanation
My jaw dropped at how good that explanation was (based on how well and easily I was able to understand) Hats off !
After several weeks of struggle, I finally understood how objects behave at the L2 point. Thanks a lot sir. You are simply amazing.
Thank you so much, and I'm so glad it helped!
"Until next time.. stay curious my friend."
That line comes across so genuine each time. I'm glad I found your channel, every video is so full of detail with a clear explanation. Thank you.
Since the JWST was launched, I've been reading up on lagrange points and L2 halo orbits. I struggled to understand how a halo orbits works. This video is the best video I've seen that explained the physics behind it. Thank you so so much! You have a new subscriber and I will be sure to support your patreon.
Wow, thank you and I'm so grateful to have your support!
Thank you thank you thank you!! I’ve been trying to find an explanation of this “orbiting an empty spot” physics and have been stymied until now! As an engineer I’m familiar with vector forces and the basics of orbital mechanics but I could never understand where the centripetal acceleration toward L2 was coming from. Your animation showing the small frequent thrusts that continually push Webb up the gravitational “hill” toward L2 to counter the tendency to fall back toward earth was also brilliant and makes the whole thing much more intuitive!
Wow, thank you so much! I have to admit when I saw that little animation play for the first time , I was all "whee!" :)
How did you end up being an engineer? I don't have an academic degree but I understood this since primary school. Really. This is serious question.. The engineers shouldn't have any problem understanding it, but maybe I have wrong picture of stereotypical engineer.
@jaypixx77 please be kind. I think @sailorgeer would have come up with something similar given enough time and collaboration. It took a lot of both to make this happen and I think sailorgeer was being humble.
@@JayPixx Because he's an engineer and not a know it all in astrophysics we are doomed? More likely we are doomed if we have more ppl like you around. You understood the L2 point since primary school? That's a lie
🤣 thats the power of imagination, make up anything you want
Where could I watch videos of the entire trajectory of missions like the James Webb?
Merci!
ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL EXPLANATION . THIS DESERVES A BIG APPLAUSE AND AWARD. NO OTHER VIDEO HAS EVER EXPLAINED THIS WAY. GOD BLESS YOU SIR.
So nice of you to say, thanks!
Absolutely so true.
This is the only explanation of a Lagrange point that doesn't, in the end, expect you to accept it just because. Well done. Subscribed.
A simple force diagram does it better. and explains why station keeping is mandatory.
At last! I've been waiting for someone to explain this. It's so weird seeing the animation of Webb orbiting nothing. Thank you!
*I'm a huge fan of knowing the unknown. That's why I'm watching this video to begin with. But now I have to ask you all an honest question: what information will this mission bring us that helps society here on Earth? Please give me honest answers*
I like that you're telling us that these are still simplified calculation. It seems like the real thing is WAY more complicated than what can be explained in one video.
Thanks for making an insanely complicated subject understandable for those of us not born with Einstein brains! I now understand the physics behind this now thanks to you. You just earned a subscriber!
You don't have to be as smart and/or intuitive as Einstein. Just a rocket scientist. 😉
Simply Incredible!!! We have all waited a long,long time for Webb to get on the job. But it was worth it! The performance of the Webb team was a scientific tour de force! Who says that science is boring and cannot be art?
I appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos.
Thanks Christian :)
Thanks so much!
Once again you manage to present the amazing engineering of Webb in a great and illuminating way. Thanks for your videos, the go-to place for Webb-info.
Wow, thank you for the kind words!
First detailed video about Webb I have ever seen .Exposes the mind blowing hard work the engineers and scientists did which is worth the 100 US dollars price especially after the first photos were taken. Everyone on earth should know this work of miracle and art
What a joy your lectures must have been to your students! This was so easy to assimilate! Thank you! I haven't "liked and subscribed" this fast in a very long time!
Wow, thank you!
@@LaunchPadAstronomy More than welcome! Thank YOU for this channel!
At last. A decent explanation as I have been searching for this for ages.
I'm glad it was helpful. Someone posted a similar approach on Twitter and of course I smacked my forehead and went "duh..." :)
Well done Christian! This is the most detailed, easy to understand and accurate description of L2 yet. There are some really good vids on L2 out there but yours paints the clearest picture yet. I take my hat off to you sir!
Thank you so much, Sebastian. I really appreciate it!
I completely agree. It's awesome!
Yes I must admit I had my ideas about Lagrange points completely wrong, I thought they were like a gravity well without an object at the center. The centrifugal force thing really made it clear, good job
@@StudioHartoog p
Great video! Thank you for covering Webb and getting this info to the public in such an easy to understand way! I worked the design of the Sunshield for 14 years at NG and it is great to see all the public interest in Webb. Thanks for all your videos!
Thanks! And thanks for building a great sunshield!
Remember there were hundreds of engineers that worked on this observatory and some that continue to work on it in the background to make sure that in 6 months the mirrors can finally capture the first images.
Woww
@@folveraolvera Is that when we get the first glimpse of a better future for the public? Becuase the JW has already sent images back ? HAha He He
Thank you. I had EXACTLY this question and even though I'd seen a number of videos, noone really explained this as clearly as you.
I couldn't figure out how the Lagrange points worked. But you explained it in a way I could understand, thank you.
Wow what an explaination, thank you for simplifying it for us. This was too awesome. Even in this simple version it is mind blowing all the calculations you all figured out. This human is proud of you all. What an accomplishment!
Fantastic, have been searching for simplified (but not glossing over) description of how Halo orbits at L2 work and how JWST will station keep. your force diagrams and 'staying on the Earth side of the saddle" did the trick. thanks
I'm really glad it helped!
Excellent!!! Thanks for the hard work to investigate this and present it!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!
I don't actually understand technically almost anything of what was explained, but i understand how amazingly complex those things are… and i love it!
Lucid explanation, with just enough deconstruction to maximize layman understanding of these complex orbital dynamics without sacrificing any significant scientific accuracy. What a work of mathematical and engineering genius, Webb. Thank you!
You explain stuff that needs to be explained in order to understand what's really going on behind the scene.
While there are others who do decent job, your videos always offer that intuitive understanding.
Being coherent while handling complex topics and make it palatable to people who haven't studied the subject is top notch journalistic talent. 👏
Wow, thank you VERY much, I really appreciate that!
Fantastic explanation. Thank you, amazing how the position of an object that far from earth can be determined.
Incredible video. I really liked the way you explained the Halo Orbit of JWST, I understood it very well.
Awesome, that's great to hear!
This is the best and clearest explanation i have come across. Thanks!
Thank you!!!!!! Wondering about how this orbit works has been keeping me awake at night for the past few months. I finally understand it enough to be content. Thanks man
Glad it helped!
Fantastic! Exactly the level of detail I was looking for and very well presented. Thanks!
Thank you Christian for best and the most comprehensive explanation of the gravitational and other forces acting on Webb! Your vector diagrams and illustrations are spectacular.
Thank you for such a great explanation of such a complicated subject. I find it incredible that LaGrange figured out in the 1700's the gravitation effects of these points in space, and that we are able to use the same maths as him to keep the JWST in position. The more I learn about the universe, the more marvelous it becomes.
The more you learn about god, the more marvelous it becomes.
Thank you very much. As a science fiction fan, I have seen references to LaGrange points and had a fuzzy understanding. This has cleared things up immensely, well taught sir!
Thank you for the in-depth explanation about this, I was kind of head scratching about "Orbiting Nothing" And it's pretty amazing that they can do these calculations to make this all work out. Love your channel and keep up the awesome videos and explanations.
One of my favourite youtubers! You do more than simply dish out information. I feel like you teach me things in a way I'm able to remember, recall, and apply. Also one of the best at weaving sponsorship in a way that's practical, seamless, and relevant. Other youtubers should copy this!
CHEERS!
You’re very kind, thanks!
Wow! What an amazing explenation of a problem that never even occured to me in all of the other videos and articles about the jwt. I'm absolutely blown away by everthing about this mission. A true milestone in human history.
Thank you so much for the lucid explanation into the whole exercise of the Webb being put into an around L2 of Sun & Earth! This one program has demystified so many vagueness & doubts I had about the whole topic of Webb orbiting L2.
Thank you also to show how useful an apparently enigmatic topic like centrifugal force could become 😁 👏
You're very welcome! I was always content with the discussion of gravitational potentials, but then I saw it described with a simple force diagram and I just smacked my forehead and said, "duh!" :)
this is the video I was looking for since I first heard about lagrange points. THE most clear explanation so far. I finally understand what's going on and I didn't even watch half of the video. THANK YOU!!!
My pleasure! And feel free to check out the other half, ‘cause it’s a deusy!
Finally!! An explanation of L2 that I could follow and, for the most part, understand. The analogy of balancing a marble on a saddle was excellent and made things click for me. Many thanks!!
That’s a great detailed explanation. Thanks and looking for the next six months and beyond.
Glad it was helpful!
This channel has one of the most clear and articulated explanations I`ve seen. Thanks for making this amazing content available on RUclips.
Literally the only detailed explanation on the whole Internet that I can find of how Webb's orbit actually works. Excellent.
wow, i never saw a video explaining Lagrangian points orbits better than yours, it was mindblowing
Thank you so much!
I was wondering about this orbit for a while, then I found this video and as soon as I saw the diagram I understood. Really well explained, obviously oversimplified but a great entry level explanation.
Now I finally understand the halo orbit. Excellent graphics! Many thanks.
You bet!
Awesome video, really cleared up for me how the L2 Point and JWT will work!
Thank you for this explanation and especially for not putting in a bunch of background music, your explanation was great and gave me a much better understanding of Webb's orbit and why it is at that point.
Glad it was helpful!
Finally! A comprehensive explanation on how JWST orbits around a halo point! Thank you!
As a physics student I really enjoy these videos. They just show you how much there is to learn :)
hey I saw me at the end! thanks for the video. I was wondering why they chose such a unique orbit for jwst
Thanks for your support!
Wow, I had no idea, was so confused how it reached this specific orbit--thanks for the math and science lesson!!
You got it!
How long before it runs out of fuel?
I think it 10 years
It amazes me that there are people out there that can figure all this kind of stuff out. It also makes me glad to be a biologist and not an astrophysicist.
hi @LaunchPadAstronomy... stellar explanation of Webb's orbital dynamics. I loved watching this video.
Thank you for explaining the orbit around L2. This was a great video. Very easy to understand and at the same time full of formation. Thanks a lot!
I'd like to suggest a similar video (someday) explaining how missions like Lunar Prospector and LCROSS used changes in orbital velocity to measure density variations on the Moon, etc. I understand the basics of how that works, but would love to see the details explained this clearly.
Really enjoyed seeing the force vectors analyzed! Thanks!
Amazing minds who made this possible. Us Humans need more of this and less of celebrities and “influencers” 😬
I've always been so interested in space exploration and technology since I was a kid and this absolutely blows my mind. The bright minds that dreamed this up are truly inspiring.
Best explanation of halo orbit around L2 I have ever found on YT
Excellent video! Wonderful explanation and very helpful illustrations! The engineering that went into the James Webb Space Telescope is truly incredible, and it is fascinating to learn about all the things that scientists and engineers had to figure out when designing the JWST.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks!
Thanks for explaining this, I was always disappointed when other videos about JWST didn't address its orbit, mentioning it without any explanations. So I tried to figure it out in my head, and I'm glad I got it right, it's exactly how I imagined :)
I imagined there to be an imaginary rod connecting sun-earth-L2, which attracts because the gravity of the two bodies aligns. And an orbit around it, slightly closer than L2 because of the misalignment, balancing that attraction.
I've been wondering about exactly this, cos if you could just circle around nothing wouldn't the Ptolemaic system be perfectly plausible... Thank you for taking the time to explain, and, generally, for your informative and enjoyable videos.
Really glad you enjoyed it!
Did the Ptolemaic system not came up with the concept of epicycles; Planets orbitting a point that orbitted the earth, just to explain retrograde movement of the outer planets.
One could ( with some fantasy) say, the JW telescope is orbitting in an epicycle.
@pyropulse ???? the ptolemaic system was used in astrology and when Copernicus wanted to match the observations with the math's of the model he came to the conclusion the model did not work. As a religieus man of his time he wanted to unravel the perfect math behind Gods Creation. Just because the ptolemaic model was not 100% correct to construct horoscopes, it set Copernicus on the path to the heliocentric model.
I don't know who uses the ptolemaic model nowadays, but is certainly not NASA.
Thanks a lot Sir.
Really liked your explanation 😃
Thank you for this video, i finally found something that makes sense explaining l2
Thanks for the explanation! I was quite curious about this. The amount of engineering and forethought that went into this satellite is so incredible.
Great explanation! Easy to understand, even if you haven’t studied astrophysics.
This was my first time watching your channel. All I can say is, wow! You do such a great job of explainging exceedingly complex ideas for everyone to understand. Great job! New subscriber here!
I've seen many many Videos that tried to explain the webb orbit. This is the only one that I finally understood
Thank you so much, I spent a lot of time trying to find the answer to this very question and came up blank. I really appreciate your team taking the time and effort to make this video.
That was a very clear explanation. Thanks.
Thank you very much for the presentation! Since the telescope is a) orbiting all the time, and b) needs to move its angles to correct for the radiation' pressure and avoid direct light from the Sun, how it can stay still in order to receive all the light (infrared at least) from the oldest galaxies in the Universe, which is ultimately Webbs main goal. Thank you very much for your answer!
Ball on a saddle..........I get it!!..very well narrated with clear, concise info.
Thanks, I’m glad it helped!
Im taking an astronomy course in uni right now and am in love with Webb. What a fantastic leap for astronomy lovers.
Its crazy that feats of science at times even trumps science fiction. Kudos to everyone behind this gem
Thank you for posting this. I've shared on FB to others asking this question. I posed this question last week to either your site - or perhaps it was Dr. Becky's site. I don't remember. But, regardless, I'm sure others wondered how this was achieved. Thanks!
Fantastic, I'm glad it was helpful!
I was waiting this explanation for a very long time! This video finally answered my questions which I had after watching dozen of other videos about Lagrange points. Please make similar video explaining L4/L5. Why hilltop is more stable than saddle?
Whoa, the force vectors really cleared the mechanics of the "orbiting empty space". I guess it would be kinda similar to dangling a ball on a long string, and waving it a little to make it move in a circle.
This is a great explanation! I'll definitely send people who ask this question to this video for clarification.
It's at a Lagrange point, so it does orbit something, it just happens to be that it stays in the same place in the frame of reference of the earth.
Great video!! I really like how you point out every single thing you neglect for the sake of simplicity. Every time I asked myself "but wait, what about X" You immediately said, as if hearing me "We neglect X intentionally". Great, simple (as much as possible) explanation. Subscribed.
I'm glad you found it helpful, and I'm glad to have you along for the ride!
I remember learning about L2 for astrophysics olympiad in highschool. We just learnt that the force required to maintain orbit is the same as the gravity from sun and earth, so it acts like an earth synchronous orbit around sun. This video showed all the intricacies of it.
I wonder when they actually get Webb out there, will there be some other force they hadn't considered which will help our knowledge for next time
@@Psyche721 webb's been there for a few months now, and there have been other vehicles at L2 for a long time now
Actually, after watching this video, I suddenly realize that. The effort that we make to understand this as a normal guy is great. But the effort of the scientists who work on this project is uncountable. So that we can not find an easy way to understand it, we have to spend time on it
Another thing that impressed me in this video is the attitude of the speaker. Thanks for your effort in spending time on this video!!!
My pleasure and thank you!
I have been searching for this very question for a long time,
PEACE finally !
Thanks.
Finaly somebody explained it in details.
Thanks a lot!