Accessing JWST Data
Data from all JWST instruments (MIRI, NIRCam, NIRSpec, NIRSS, and FGS) are archived in and can be retrieved from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST).
On this page
The articles in this section of JDox describe the means to discover, explore, and retrieve JWST data products, and to obtain user support.
MAST, the JWST data Archive
See also: Getting Started with JWST Data
MAST documentation (external links): MAST Archive, MAST Portal Users Guide, MAST Demos and Tutorials, JWST Archive Manual
Data from all JWST instruments are archived in MAST, which is the permanent repository and access portal for data from many NASA UV/optical/IR missions and selected ground-based surveys. Users may discover JWST data in a variety of ways, including searches by:
- the observing program in which they were obtained
- the instrument used to obtain the data
- sky coordinates
- astrophysical source name
The data products include raw exposures and all levels of calibration processing; contemporaneous engineering and guide star data, and calibration reference data. High-level science products contributed by investigating teams will be available in the future. All JWST data products can be searched via the MAST Discovery Portal, or through various applications and software interfaces (see Programmatic Interfaces). Authorized users may also visualize and retrieve protected science data from their observing programs.
MAST Discovery Portal users can find all varieties of JWST data products along with co-spatial products from any other hosted mission archives, and overlay science datasets from other missions and surveys.
New to MAST?
For users who are not experienced with using MAST, or with the Portal web application, the following resources may help:
- The MAST Primer for JWST contains step-by-step instructions for common searches and retrievals.
- The MAST JWST Data FAQ has answers to common user questions
- The article Using MAST APIs includes links to tutorials and Jupyter notebooks showing how to use scripts to access JWST data in MAST
- JWebbinar 17 featured presentations and tutorials on using MAST applications and APIs
Acknowledgements
Please be sure to acknowledge the use of JWST data in publications. Recipients of JWST grants are reminded of their obligation to create Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for JWST data they analyze in their publications. See the Special Topics chapter of the JWST Archive Manual for details.
Additional links
MAST API User Guide
MAST Discovery Portal User Guide
MAST JWST Archive Manual