Cameras a Million Miles Apart: Stereoscopic Imaging Potential with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of using simultaneous observations from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to create stereoscopic images of Solar System objects, enhancing public engagement through 3D visualization.

Contribution

It outlines the technical requirements and feasibility of capturing stereoscopic images using two space telescopes at different locations in space.

Findings

Feasibility of stereoscopic imaging with Hubble and James Webb

Technical constraints for simultaneous imaging

Examples of potential stereoscopic images

Abstract

The two most powerful optical/IR telescopes in history -- NASA's Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes -- will be in space at the same time. We have a unique opportunity to leverage the 1.5 million kilometer separation between the two telescopic nodal points to obtain simultaneously captured stereoscopic images of asteroids, comets, moons and planets in our Solar System. Given the recent resurgence in stereo-3D movies and the recent emergence of VR-enabled mobile devices, these stereoscopic images provide a unique opportunity to engage the public with unprecedented views of various Solar System objects. Here, we present the technical requirements for acquiring stereoscopic images of Solar System objects, given the constraints of the telescopic equipment and the orbits of the target objects, and we present a handful of examples.