This one was really interesting to me because this kind of observation didn't exist when JWST was being specced out. We didn't know there were that many exoplanets around that we'd want to look at.

Would you happen to know if they can make intermediate observations while this is in process e.g. observe a relatively nearby object before the telescope is fully cooled and aligned? I'm wondering if they would be able to prove out the optics early on - this is no slam dunk as the Hubble proved.

Not really… these telescopes aren’t like snapping a photo, they take long exposures. The famous hubble deep field image was a 20+ day exposure time spread out over months (due to orbits, etc).

Trying to get an image out of it too early would just be a mess, it’s kind of an all or nothing affair. The sensor needs to be at the right temperature and the mirrors need to be precisely aligned. It’s all built to be outrageously sensitive so it can operate at the level it’s meant to.

Also, each image it’s scheduled to take has been submitted years in advance.

My knowledge is basically 0, but from what I understood the sensitivity of the sensor is so high, that anything above its operational temperature would overload it and basically make a 'white' image. Basically like having a kitchen scale and then trying to weight an elephant on it (and somehow not breaking the scale in the process).

This will only work for a handful of very nearby exoplanets, unfortunately.

hell I’d be excited for 1!

The planets around Alpha Centauri orbit a red dwarf. They are almost certainly tidally locked and lack any atmosphere. The more distant ones that might not be tidally locked are likely frozen like Pluto.

...but who knows.