First Observations of α Lyrae (Vega) with the JamesWebb Space Telescope

The most prominent of the IRAS debris disk systems, $\alpha$ Lyrae (Vega), at a distance of 7.7 pc, has been observed by both the NIRCam and MIRI instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This paper describes NIRCam F444W and F210M coronagraphic observations which have achieved F444W contrast levels of 3$\times10^{-7}$ at 1\arcsec, 1$\times10^{-7}$ at 2\arcsec\ and few $\times 10^{-8}$ beyond 5\arcsec\, corresponding to masses of $<$ 3, 2 and 0.5 \mj\ for a system age of 700 Myr. Three F444W objects are identified close to or interior to the MIRI debris disk. One is also detected by MIRI (F1550W and F2550W) and has a spectral energy distribution similar to those of distant extragalactic sources. The second one is extended in the NIRCam data, also suggesting an extragalactic nature. The third object, detected at low SNR=3.5, is located 1.4\arcsec\ south of Vega and has no counterpart in either F210M or MIRI. With an inferred mass of 2$\sim$3 \mj\, the object, if an exoplanet, would likely be disruptive of the smooth disk seen in the MIRI observations. Observations at another epoch will be required to provide definitive confirmation or rejection of this object as associated with Vega. Eight additional objects are found within 60\arcsec\ of Vega, but none has astrometric properties or colors consistent with planet candidates. These observations reach a level consistent with expected Jeans Mass limits. Deeper observations achieving contrast levels $<10^{-8}$ outside of $\sim$4\arcsec\ and reaching masses below that of Saturn are possible, but may not reveal a large population of new objects.