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James Webb Space Telescope

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Artistic concept of the exoplanet WASP-107b and its parent star. Even though the rather cool host star emits a relatively small fraction of high-energy photons, they can reach deep into the planet’s fluffy atmosphere.

James Webb investigates a super puffy exoplanet where it rains sand

One of the least dense exoplanets known was recently investigated using James Webb, and the planet's weather seems is as strange as its puffiness.
Georgina Torbet
This panchromatic view of galaxy cluster MACS0416 was created by combining infrared observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with visible-light data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. To make the image, in general the shortest wavelengths of light were color-coded blue, the longest wavelengths red, and intermediate wavelengths green. The resulting wavelength coverage, from 0.4 to 5 microns, reveals a vivid landscape of galaxies that could be described as one of the most colorful views of the universe ever created.

Webb and Hubble work together to image the Christmas Tree Galaxy Cluster

A beautiful new image of a cluster of thousands of galaxies combines data from both the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Georgina Torbet
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has gazed at the Crab Nebula in the search for answers about the supernova remnant’s origins. Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) have revealed new details in infrared light.

James Webb snaps an image of the famous and beautiful Crab Nebula

Located 6,500 light-years away, the Crab Nebula is famous among astronomers for its elaborate and beautiful structure.
Georgina Torbet
This image from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument highlights GRB 230307A’s kilonova and its former home galaxy among their local environment of other galaxies and foreground stars. The neutron stars were kicked out of their home galaxy and travelled the distance of about 120,000 light-years, approximately the diameter of the Milky Way galaxy, before finally merging several hundred million years later.

James Webb observes merging stars creating heavy elements

The James Webb Space Telescope has detected heavy elements being created in a star merger for the first time.
Georgina Torbet
This image of Jupiter from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) shows stunning details of the majestic planet in infrared light. In this image, brightness indicates high altitude. The numerous bright white "spots" and "streaks" are likely very high-altitude cloud tops of condensed convective storms. Auroras, appearing in red in this image, extend to higher altitudes above both the northern and southern poles of the planet. By contrast, dark ribbons north of the equatorial region have little cloud cover. In Webb’s images of Jupiter from July 2022, researchers recently discovered a narrow jet stream traveling 320 miles per hour (515 kilometers per hour) sitting over Jupiter’s equator above the main cloud decks.

Researchers discover a 320-mph jet stream around Jupiter’s equator

Researchers have used data from the James Webb Space Telescope to uncover a new feature of Jupiter's dramatic and turbulent atmosphere.
Georgina Torbet
This new infrared image of NGC 346 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) traces emission from cool gas and dust. In this image blue represents silicates and sooty chemical molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. More diffuse red emission shines from warm dust heated by the brightest and most massive stars in the heart of the region. Bright patches and filaments mark areas with abundant numbers of protostars. This image includes 7.7-micron light shown in blue, 10 microns in cyan, 11.3 microns in green, 15 microns in yellow, and 21 microns in red (770W, 1000W, 1130W, 1500W, and 2100W filters, respectively).

James Webb captures a gorgeous stellar nursery in nearby dwarf galaxy

A gorgeous new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a stunning sight from one of our galactic neighbors.
Georgina Torbet
A short-wavelength NIRCam mosaic of the inner Orion Nebula and Trapezium Cluster.

Zoom into an incredibly detailed James Webb image of the Orion nebula

A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the majesty of the gorgeous Orion nebula in tremendous detail.
Georgina Torbet
New Swatch designs featuring images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Swatch lets you put a stunning Webb space image on a watch face

Swatch has partnered with the European Space Agency to let you custom design a watch face with a beautiful image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Trevor Mogg
Webb’s NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) captured a picture of the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

James Webb spots carbon dioxide on Europa, supporting theory of habitability

Europa is one of the most likely places in the solar system to support life beyond Earth, and now new findings could make that possibility more likely.
Georgina Torbet
Combined observations from NASA’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and Hubble’s WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3) show spiral galaxy NGC 5584, which resides 72 million light-years away from Earth. Among NGC 5584’s glowing stars are pulsating stars called Cepheid variables and Type Ia supernova, a special class of exploding stars. Astronomers use Cepheid variables and Type Ia supernovae as reliable distance markers to measure the universe’s expansion rate.

New James Webb data shows that the crisis in cosmology persists

In the last few decades, one big question has created a crisis in the field of cosmology: How fast is the universe expanding?
Georgina Torbet
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s high resolution, near-infrared look at Herbig-Haro 211 reveals exquisite detail of the outflow of a young star, an infantile analogue of our Sun. Herbig-Haro objects are formed when stellar winds or jets of gas spewing from newborn stars form shock waves colliding with nearby gas and dust at high speeds.

James Webb captures the stunning outflows from an infant star

A gorgeous new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a dramatic sight created by the outbursts of energy coming from a very young star.
Georgina Torbet
This illustration shows what exoplanet K2-18 b could look like based on science data. K2-18 b, an exoplanet 8.6 times as massive as Earth, orbits the cool dwarf star K2-18 in the habitable zone and lies 120 light years from Earth.

James Webb sees evidence of an ocean-covered ‘Hycean’ exoplanet

James Webb has once again peered into the atmosphere of an exoplanet, and this time it has identified indications that the planet could be covered in ocean.
Georgina Torbet
Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) captured this detailed image of SN 1987A (Supernova 1987A). At the center, material ejected from the supernova forms a keyhole shape. Just to its left and right are faint crescents newly discovered by Webb. Beyond them an equatorial ring, formed from material ejected tens of thousands of years before the supernova explosion, contains bright hot spots. Exterior to that is diffuse emission and two faint outer rings. In this image blue represents light at 1.5 microns (F150W), cyan 1.64 and 2.0 microns (F164N, F200W), yellow 3.23 microns (F323N), orange 4.05 microns (F405N), and red 4.44 microns (F444W).

James Webb telescope captures stunning view of a famous supernova remnant

The James Webb Space Telescope has provided one of the most detailed views yet of the stunning supernova remnant SN 1987A, created from a destructive explosion.
Georgina Torbet
The graceful winding arms of the grand-design spiral galaxy M51 stretch across this image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Unlike the menagerie of weird and wonderful spiral galaxies with ragged or disrupted spiral arms, grand-design spiral galaxies boast prominent, well-developed spiral arms like the ones showcased in this image. This galactic portrait is a composite image that integrates data from Webb’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI).

James Webb captures the magnificent Whirlpool Galaxy in two wavelengths

A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the Whirlpool Galaxy, a galaxy so picturesque it is designated a grand-design spiral galaxy.
Georgina Torbet
The Ring Nebula captured by Webb’s IRCam (Near-Infrared Camera).

Webb telescope captures Ring Nebula in gorgeous detail

The James Webb Space Telescope has just served up a couple more sublime images, this time showing the Ring Nebula in astonishing detail.
Trevor Mogg
A massive galaxy cluster called WHL0137-08 contains the most strongly magnified galaxy known in the universe’s first billion years: the Sunrise Arc, and within that galaxy, the most distant star ever detected, nicknamed Earendel.

James Webb captures image of the most distant star ever discovered

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of the most distant star ever discovered, named Earendel.
Georgina Torbet
The shape of a question mark captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Scientists explain cosmic ‘question mark’ spotted by Webb space telescope

Scientists have been intrigued by the appearance of a question mark captured in deep space by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Trevor Mogg
JWST/NIRcam composite image of the Ring Nebula. The images clearly show the main ring, surrounded by a faint halo and with many delicate structures. The interior of the ring is filled with hot gas. The star which ejected all this material is visible at the very centre. It is extremely hot, with a temperature in excess of 100,000 degrees. The nebula was ejected only about 4000 years ago. Technical details: The image was obtained with JWST's NIRCam instrument on August 4, 2022. Images in three different filters were combined to create this composite image: F212N (blue); F300M (green); and F335M (red).

James Webb telescope captures the gorgeous Ring Nebula in stunning detail

A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the stunning Ring Nebula -- a gorgeous structure of dust and gas located in the constellation of Lyra.
Georgina Torbet
The irregular galaxy NGC 6822.

See how James Webb instruments work together to create stunning views of space

New images from the James Webb Space Telescope show incredible views of the dusty galaxy NGC 6822 - and the different views captured by Webb instruments.
Georgina Torbet
Webb’s infrared image of the galaxy cluster El Gordo (“the Fat One”) reveals hundreds of galaxies, some never before seen at this level of detail. El Gordo acts as a gravitational lens, distorting and magnifying the light from distant background galaxies. Two of the most prominent features in the image include the Thin One, located just below and left of the image center, and the Fishhook, a red swoosh at upper right. Both are lensed background galaxies.

James Webb image shows the majesty of the most massive known galaxy cluster

A recent image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the most massive galaxy cluster we know of, one so large that it is nicknamed El Gordo, or the fat one.
Georgina Torbet
A high-resolution image of a tightly bound pair of actively forming stars, known as Herbig-Haro 46/47, in near-infrared light.

James Webb captures vast structure created by newborn stars

Newborn stars are often active and glow brightly, but on rare occasions they create something epic: a vast two-lobed structure called a Herbig-Haro object.
Georgina Torbet
An artist's concept portraying the star PDS 70 and its inner protoplanetary disk.

Webb spots water vapor in a planet-forming disk

Astronomers have discovered water vapor in the planet-forming region of a star, which could help shed light on where Earth's water came from.
Georgina Torbet
This image highlights the location of the galaxy JADES-GS-z6 in a portion of an area of the sky known as GOODS-South, which was observed as part of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, or JADES.

James Webb spots ancient dust that could be from the earliest supernovas

Researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to identify grains of dust from the early universe, which could have been produced by the earliest supernovas.
Georgina Torbet
The first anniversary image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope displays star birth like it’s never been seen before, full of detailed, impressionistic texture. The subject is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth. It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery, but you’d never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up. Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disc, the makings of future planetary systems.

See the stunning image James Webb took to celebrate its first birthday

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, and to celebrate NASA has shared another gorgeous image of space.
Georgina Torbet
A section of a James Webb image showing a small part of the Extended Groth Strip, located between the Ursa Major and Boötes constellations.

Zoom into stunning James Webb image to see a galaxy formed 13.4 billion years ago

The visualization shows a small part of a region called the Extended Groth Strip, covering 5,000 galaxies and zooming in toward the distant Maisie's galaxy.
Georgina Torbet
The peculiar galaxy NGC 3256 takes centre stage in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This distorted galaxy is the wreckage of a head-on collision between two spiral galaxies which likely occurred 500 million years ago, and it is studded with clumps of young stars which were formed as gas and dust from the two galaxies collided.

One galaxy, two views: see a comparison of images from Hubble and Webb

Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope operate in different wavelengths. That means that they can see different aspects of the same objects.
Georgina Torbet
Crop of Webb's CEERS Survey image.

James Webb spots the most distant active supermassive black hole ever discovered

A very early example of a supermassive black holes was recently discovered, dating back to just 570 million years after the big bang.
Georgina Torbet
Saturn captured by the James Webb Space Telescope

Saturn as you’ve never seen it before, captured by Webb telescope

NASA has used the Webb telescope's special camera to capture an amazing image of Saturn in new work that could help deepen our understanding of the planet.
Trevor Mogg
An arrangement of 10 distant galaxies marked by eight white circles in a diagonal, thread-like line.

James Webb spots clues to the large-scale structure of the universe

If you look at the universe on a big enough scale, galaxies aren't randomly scattered. Instead, they form a structure known as the cosmic web.
Georgina Torbet
This image is NIRCam’s view of the Orion Bar region studied by the team of astronomers. Bathed in harsh ultraviolet light from the stars of the Trapezium Cluster, it is an area of intense activity, with star formation and active astrochemistry. This made it a perfect place to study the exact impact that ultraviolet radiation has on the molecular makeup of the discs of gas and dust that surround new stars. The radiation erodes the nebula’s gas and dust in a process known as photoevaporation; this creates the rich tapestry of cavities and filaments that fill the view. The radiation also ionises the molecules, causing them to emit light — not only does this create a beautiful vista, it also allows astronomers to study the molecules using the spectrum of their emitted light obtained with Webb’s MIRI and NIRSpec instruments.

James Webb detects important molecule in the stunning Orion nebula

The molecule, called methyl cation, is important for the development of the complex carbon-based molecules on which life depends.
Georgina Torbet
A new visualization explores the galaxy group Stephan's Quintet by using observations in visible, infrared, and X-ray light. The sequence contrasts images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, Webb Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory to provide insights across the electromagnetic spectrum.

See and hear Stephan’s Quintet in a whole new way with NASA visualizations

Data from the James Webb Space Telescope has been combined with data from other telescopes to create a new way to see and hear a famous galaxy group.
Georgina Torbet
This artist' concept shows what the hot rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 c could look like based on this work. TRAPPIST-1 c, the second of seven known planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, orbits its star at a distance of 0.016 AU (about 1.5 million miles), completing one circuit in just 2.42 Earth-days. TRAPPIST-1 c is slightly larger than Earth, but has around the same density, which indicates that it must have a rocky composition. Webb’s measurement of 15-micron mid-infrared light emitted by TRAPPIST-1 c suggests that the planet has either a bare rocky surface or a very thin carbon dioxide atmosphere.

James Webb telescope searches for habitability in the famous TRAPPIST-1 system

James Webb peered into the atmosphere of what was thought to be a Venus-like planet, and saw something unexpected.
Georgina Torbet
A delicate tracery of dust and bright star clusters threads across this image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The bright tendrils of gas and stars belong to the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5068, whose bright central bar is visible in the upper left of this image. NGC 5068 lies around 17 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.

Peer inside the bar of a barred spiral galaxy in new James Webb image

The newest image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a stunning display of dust and stars that form the bar of the barred spiral galaxy NCG 5068.
Georgina Torbet
Saturn's geologically active moon, Enceladus.

James Webb spots huge plumes of water from Saturn’s moon Enceladus

The entire moon of Enceladus is just over 300 miles across. And yet the plume Webb observed spanned more than 6,000 miles.
Georgina Torbet
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