PDRs4all: Simulation and data reduction of JWST NIRCam imaging of an extended bright source, the Orion Bar

TL;DR

This paper develops a simulation methodology for JWST NIRCam imaging of extended bright sources like the Orion Bar, aiding observation planning and risk assessment for saturation in future JWST imaging programs.

Contribution

It introduces a simulation and data reduction pipeline specifically for JWST NIRCam imaging of extended bright sources, with application to the Orion Bar.

Findings

Simulation results inform observation strategies

Assessment of saturation risks for bright extended sources

Pipeline applicability to other extended objects

Abstract

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be launched in December 2021, with four instruments to perform imaging and spectroscopy. This paper presents work which is part of the Early Release Science (ERS) program "PDRs4All" aimed at observing the Orion Bar. It focuses on the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) imaging which will be performed as part of this project. The aim of this paper is to illustrate a methodology to simulate observations of an extended source that is similar to the Orion Bar with NIRCam, and to run the pipeline on these simulated observations. These simulations provide us with a clear idea of the observations that will be obtained, based on the "Astronomer's proposal tool" settings. The analysis also provides an assessment of the risks of saturation. The methodology presented in this document can be applied for JWST observing programs of extended objects containing bright point sources, e.g. for observations of nebulae or nearby galaxies.