What is a Lagrange point, the final destination for the James Webb Space Telescope? – The Washington Post

The James Webb Space Telescope, launched Dec. 25, will shortly arrive at the destination from which it will begin its in-depth examination of the distant universe. However, unlike its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Telescope won’t be orbiting Earth. Rather, it will orbit the sun in an area of space known as a Lagrange point, where the tricky overlap of gravity from the sun and Earth and centrifugal forces from its orbit will allow the telescope to maintain its position relative to the orbiting Earth almost — but not quite — effortlessly.