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Concept

Sun-Earth L2

A glowing orange sphere with concentric rings around it, set against a backdrop of swirling dark clouds, symbolizes the Sun-Earth L2 concept, representing the second Lagrange point in the solar system.

The second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million kilometres beyond Earth on the line away from the Sun. A spacecraft there can hold a roughly stable position relative to both bodies using small station-keeping burns. The geometry lets Webb keep its sunshield pointed permanently at the Sun, Earth, and Moon simultaneously, with the cold instruments looking outward into deep space.

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