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James Webb Space Telescope

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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
james webb chandra images chandrawebb2 1

See stunning images combining James Webb and Chandra X-ray data

NASA has shared a new view of some famous space images, by combining infrared data from Webb with X-ray data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
Georgina Torbet
This illustration of Comet 238P/Read shows the main belt comet sublimating—its water ice vaporizing as its orbit approaches the Sun. This is significant, as the sublimation is what distinguishes comets from asteroids, creating their distinctive tail and hazy halo, or coma. It is especially important for Comet Read, as it is one of 16 identified main belt comets found in the asteroid belt, as opposed to the colder Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud, more distant from the Sun. Comet Read was one of three comets used to define the class of main belt comets in 2006.

James Webb investigates mystery of where Earth’s water comes from

The first water may have been brought to our planet by a comet. Now, James Webb is investigating comets to see if they could carry water vapor.
Georgina Torbet
This artist’s concept depicts the planet GJ 1214 b, a “mini-Neptune” with what is likely a steamy, hazy atmosphere. A new study based on observations by NASA’s Webb telescope provides insight into this type of planet, the most common in the galaxy.

James Webb telescope gets a view of the ‘white whale’ of exoplanet research

Located 50 light-years away, the planet GJ 1214 b has defied 15 years of attempted observations due to its hazy nature.
Georgina Torbet
This image of the dusty debris disk surrounding the young star Fomalhaut is from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). It reveals three nested belts extending out to 14 billion miles (23 billion kilometers) from the star. The inner belts – which had never been seen before – were revealed by Webb for the first time.

James Webb gets a stunning view of a far-off planetary system

As well peering back at the earliest galaxies in the universe, the James Webb Space Telescope is also letting astronomers learn more about how planets form.
Georgina Torbet
This artist concept represents the rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b, which orbits a red dwarf star that is only 26 light-years away in the constellation Virgo. By observing GJ 486 b transit in front of its star, astronomers sought signs of an atmosphere. They detected hints of water vapor. However, they caution that while this might be a sign of a planetary atmosphere, the water could be on the star itself – specifically, in cool starspots – and not from the planet at all.

James Webb detects water vapor in rocky planet’s atmosphere — maybe

Water vapor was spotted near the rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b. That could indicate the presence of water in its atmosphere, or it could also be from another source.
Georgina Torbet
Shining like a brilliant beacon amidst a sea of galaxies, Arp 220 lights up the night sky in this view from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Actually two spiral galaxies in the process of merging, Arp 220 glows brightest in infrared light, making it an ideal target for Webb. It is an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) with a luminosity of more than a trillion suns. In comparison, our Milky Way galaxy has a much more modest luminosity of about ten billion suns.

James Webb captures a stunning image of two galaxies merging

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a gorgeous image of a dramatic cosmic event: two galaxies colliding.
Georgina Torbet
Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. It spans approximately 10 light-years. This new image uses data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to reveal Cas A in a new light.

James Webb captures stunning image of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A

A stunning new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a famous supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A, or Cas A.
Georgina Torbet
This zoomed-in image of Uranus, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on 6 February 2023, reveals stunning views of the planet’s rings. The planet displays a blue hue in this representative-colour image, made by combining data from two filters (F140M, F300M) at 1.4 and 3.0 microns, shown here as blue and orange, respectively.

James Webb captures the rarely-seen rings around Uranus

Following up on its image of Neptune released last year, astronomers using Webb have just released a brand-new image of Uranus as you've never seen it before.
Georgina Torbet
This illustration conceptualises the swirling clouds identified by the James Webb Space Telescope in the atmosphere of the exoplanet VHS 1256 b. The planet is about 40 light-years away and orbits two stars that are locked in their own tight rotation. Its clouds, which are filled with silicate dust, are constantly rising, mixing, and moving during its 22-hour day.

James Webb spots exoplanet with gritty clouds of sand floating in its atmosphere

Exoplanet VHS 1256 b, around 40 light-years away, has an unusual atmosphere where clouds of sand float in temperatures of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Georgina Torbet
Images of four example galaxies selected from the first epoch of COSMOS-Web NIRCam observations, highlighting the range of structures that can be seen. In the upper left is a barred spiral galaxy; in the upper right is an example of a gravitational lens, where the mass of the central galaxy is causing the light from a distant galaxy to be stretched into arcs; on the lower left is nearby galaxy displaying shells of material, suggesting it merged with another galaxy in its past; on the lower right is a barred spiral galaxy with several clumps of active star formation.

Astronomers share early images from James Webb’s galaxy survey

The snapshot of the sky captured by James Webb shows 25,000 galaxies -- and it's just a taste of what is to come.
Georgina Torbet
Researchers are getting their first glimpses inside distant spiral galaxies to see how stars formed and how they change over time, thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope’s ability to pierce the veil of dust and gas clouds.

How James Webb is peering into galaxies to see stars being born

Researchers are using the James Webb Space Telescope to study galaxies similar to our Milky Way to understand how they grow and evolve.
Georgina Torbet
This observation from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope features the massive galaxy cluster RX J2129. Due to Gravitational lensing, this observation contains three different images of the same supernova-hosting galaxy, which you can see in closer detail here. Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive celestial body causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime to bend the path of light travelling past or through it, almost like a vast lens. In this case, the lens is the galaxy cluster RX J2129, located around 3.2 billion light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. Gravitational lensing can cause background objects to appear strangely distorted, as can be seen by the concentric arcs of light in the upper right of this image.

James Webb captures an extremely distant triple-lensed supernova

Webb imaged a huge galaxy cluster located 3.2 billion light-years away, which is acting like a magnifying glass and showing a far-off supernova in triplicate.
Georgina Torbet
Images of six candidate massive galaxies, seen 500-700 million years after the Big Bang. One of the sources (bottom left) could contain as many stars as our present-day Milky Way, according to researchers, but it is 30 times more compact.

James Webb spots ‘universe-breaking’ massive early galaxies

The James Webb Space Telescope continues to throw up surprises, and recently it has been used to spot some very old galaxies which have astonished astronomers.
Georgina Torbet
Astronomers estimate 50,000 sources of near-infrared light are represented in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Their light has travelled through varying distances to reach the telescope’s detectors, representing the vastness of space in a single image. A foreground star in our own galaxy, to the right of the image center, displays Webb’s distinctive diffraction spikes. Bright white sources surrounded by a hazy glow are the galaxies of Pandora’s Cluster, a conglomeration of already-massive clusters of galaxies coming together to form a megacluster.

Webb uses a galactic megacluster as an enormous magnifying lens

To look at some of the most distant galaxies, astronomers take advantage of a phenomenon called gravitational lensing.
Georgina Torbet
Scientists are getting their first look with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s powerful resolution at how the formation of young stars influences the evolution of nearby galaxies. The spiral arms of NGC 7496, one of a total of 19 galaxies targeted for study by the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby Galaxies (PHANGS) collaboration, are filled with cavernous bubbles and shells overlapping one another in this image from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). These filaments and hollow cavities are evidence of young stars releasing energy and, in some cases, blowing out the gas and dust of the interstellar medium they plough into.

James Webb captures swirls of dust and gas in nearby galaxies

The James Webb Space Telescope is helping astronomers to peer into nearby galaxies and see elaborate structures of dust and gas.
Georgina Torbet
This image shows an artist impression of our Milky Way galaxy in its youth. Five small satellite galaxies, of various types and sizes, are in the process of being accreted into the Milky Way. These satellite galaxies also contribute globular star clusters to the larger galaxy. The Sparkler galaxy provides a snap-shot of an infant Milky Way as it accretes mass over cosmic time.

James Webb Telescope catches a glimpse of young version of the Milky Way

The James Webb Space Telescope has got a glimpse into what our galaxy was like in its formative years by observing a distant galaxy called The Sparkler.
Georgina Torbet
An asteroid roughly the size of Rome’s Colosseum — between 300 to 650 feet (100 to 200 meters) in length — has been detected by an international team of European astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. They used data from the calibration of the MIRI instrument, in which the team serendipitously detected an interloping asteroid. The object is likely the smallest observed to date by Webb and may be an example of an object measuring under 1 kilometer in length within the main asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter. More observations are needed to better characterize this object’s nature and properties.

A failed Webb telescope calibration leads to the discovery of this tiny asteroid

Data from a failed calibration of Webb's MIRI instrument has been used to spot a tiny asteroid that measures just a few hundred feet across.
Georgina Torbet
A Google blog post discussing its LaMBDA artificial intelligence technology displayed on a smartphone screen.

Oops — Google Bard AI demo is disproven by the first search result

Google has just unveiled its own artificial intelligence called Bard, yet it’s already served up its first piece of misinformation -- during Google’s own demo.
Alex Blake
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