How far from Earth is the L2 point where JWST orbits?

The L2 point where JWST orbits is about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. It lies on the side of Earth opposite the Sun, where the combined gravity of the Sun and Earth lets Webb travel around the Sun while staying near Earth’s orbital position.

Webb is not parked exactly at L2 and does not orbit Earth like Hubble. Instead, it follows a large halo orbit around the point, completing one circuit roughly every 168 days. This arrangement keeps the Sun, Earth, and Moon on the same side of the observatory, allowing its five-layer sunshield to block their heat and light.

The distance is often also given as about 1 million miles. A common mix-up is confusing Webb’s distance from Earth with the approximately 500,000-kilometer scale of its halo orbit around L2. Webb reached the vicinity of L2 about a month after its December 25, 2021 launch, then underwent months of deployment, cooling, alignment, and instrument calibration.