Colloquium: Jim Beletic, Teledyne
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): Humankind’s greatest space science facility
Event Details:
- Date: April 14, 2026
- Time: 3:45 - 4:45 PM
- Location: 1080 Physics Research Building
- Faculty Host: John Beacom
Abstract
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is NASA’s flagship astronomy and astrophysics mission that was launched on December 25, 2021 and is operating in a halo orbit at Lagrange Point 2 (L2), 1.5 million km from Earth. With a 6.5-meter diameter primary mirror that is cooled to 50K and four infrared instruments, JWST is investigating four major science areas:
- First light and reionization: JWST is a powerful time machine with infrared vision that is looking back 13.5 billion years to see the first stars and galaxies forming in the early Universe.
- Assembly of galaxies: JWST’s unprecedented infrared sensitivity enables astronomers to compare the faintest, earliest galaxies to today’s spiral and elliptical galaxies, helping us understand how galaxies assemble over billions of years.
- Birth of stars and protoplanetary systems: JWST can see into massive clouds of dust that are opaque to visible-light observatories (like Hubble), where stars and planetary systems are being born.
- Planets and origins of life: JWST is telling us more about the atmospheres of extrasolar planets, and perhaps will even find the building blocks of life elsewhere in the Universe. In addition to other planetary systems, JWST will also study objects within our own solar system.
This presentation starts with the scientific motivation of JWST and reviews the major technological innovations that were needed to build the observatory. The four JWST instruments are presented with the optical path of the NIRSpec animated. The infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) are presented and performance of the FPAs and telescope optics are reviewed; telescope performance is exceeding specification in spite of micrometeoroid hits on the primary mirror. The process of image data collection and processing is demonstrated by the iconic “Cosmic Cliffs” image (shown below). The presentation concludes with scientific examples that demonstrate the breadth of JWST capability and glimpse of the science that will be performed over the next two decades.
Bio
During 2023-2026, Dr. Beletic was the Chief Scientific Officer of Teledyne Digital Imaging, Space. In this role, he was responsible for engaging current and prospective space customers to grow Teledyne’s space business across the full suite of Teledyne’s imaging technologies. The Teledyne imaging business units involved in space missions are Teledyne Imaging Sensors, e2v Space Imaging, DALSA, and Judson Technologies.
During 2013-2023, James was the President of Teledyne Imaging Sensors (TIS), which is a world leader in the development and production of high performance infrared focal plane arrays. TIS sensors are operating in instrumentation at every major ground-based telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Pluto New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, the Euclid dark universe mission, SPHEREx, and weather satellites such as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). The next generation of infrared space astronomy missions (Roman Space Telescope, NEO Surveyor, Ariel, ARRAKIHS) are made possible by Teledyne’s imaging sensors. TIS plays a vital role in National Defense and supplies infrared arrays, cameras, and electronics to the commercial laboratory instrumentation market.
Dr. Beletic has over 40 years of experience in instrumentation, with specialization in visible and infrared image sensor technologies. His career is a unique combination of international work experience that includes scientific positions at major research centers (Harvard University, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute), leadership positions at the world’s foremost astronomical observatories (European Southern Observatory, Keck Observatory), and senior level management of an industry leader in infrared sensors (Teledyne).
Dr. Beletic is an active leader in the international astronomical community, chairing review panels for scientific projects, teaching seminars, giving invited talks, and hosting the Scientific Detector Workshop, a meeting held every three years that brings together the scientists and engineers who develop, produce, implement and operate the most advanced imaging sensors used in scientific instrumentation. Asteroid 14669 is named after him in recognition of his contributions to astronomy.