jameswebbspacetelescope

Webb surfs the cosmos

Webb Finds That Many Old, Distant Galaxies Look Like Surfboards

While the James Webb Space Telescope has been busy helping scientists solve some of the greatest mysteries of the early Universe, the powerful telescope has also found that many distant galaxies have flattened oval disk and tube-like shapes, unlike the spiral and elliptical structures that are more typically seen in closer galaxies.

Webb helps scientists answer one of the most persistent questions about the nature of the early Universe.

Webb Answers One of the Early Universe’s Biggest Questions

While the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has delivered many beautiful images, its primary mission is to probe the early Universe and help humanity solve some of the most significant questions it faces. Webb has delivered on this promise by revealing, for the first time, what is in the local environment of galaxies in the very earliest days of the Universe.

The Best James Webb Space Telescope Photos of the Year (2023)

The Best James Webb Space Telescope Photos of 2023

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has wrapped up its first full year of scientific operations, and beyond "breaking" cosmology, the telescope has also delivered some of the most spectacular photos of deep space ever seen.

PetaPixel favorite stories 2023

Our Favorite PetaPixel Stories of 2023

This year has been a fascinating one in the world of photography, and like every year, it was full of incredible highs, devastating lows, and everything in between.

Purple swirls and stars as found in star cluster IC 348.

Webb Identifies a Tiny Brown Dwarf That Defies Explanation

Even as telescopes and observatories uncover more details about space, it remains mysterious. One puzzle revolves around the "smallest object that can form in a star-like manner," according to NASA. With the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have identified a new record holder for that category: a free-floating brown dwarf.

Hubble and Webb composite image of MACS0414 galaxy cluster

Hubble and Webb Deliver the Most Colorful View of the Universe Ever

Despite the somewhat familiar narrative that the James Webb Space Telescope has been built to supplant the aging Hubble Space Telescope, the two orbiting observatories regularly collaborate. Scientists have now combined data from Hubble and Webb to create the most colorful view of the Universe ever.

Webb celebrates its first anniversary with a spectacular image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex

How Scientists Bring Webb’s Images to Life in Beautiful Color

The James Webb Space Telescope YouTube channel released a fascinating new video this week that explains how Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) science visuals developers Joe DePasquale and Alyssa Pagan transform Webb's black-and-white image data into full-color composites.

Webb El Gordo

Webb Unveils Strange Distant Galaxies in Incredible New Detail

Webb's new infrared image of the galaxy cluster "El Gordo" ("the Fat One") showcases hundreds of galaxies, some of which have never been seen before in such detail. Using its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), Webb has used the gravitational lensing created by El Gordo to see distant background galaxies more clearly, offering scientists a unique look at the distant universe.

Webb Herbig-Haro 46/47

Webb Photographs Newly Forming Stars in Incredible, Colorful Detail

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured an amazing image of Herbig-Haro 46/47 using its near-infrared instrument, NIRCam. The image, processed by Joe DePasquale of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), showcases a "tightly bound pair of actively forming stars" in brilliant detail and color.

James Webb Space Telescope interview with Joe DePasquale and Alyssa Pagan

How Editors Blend Art and Science to Bring NASA’s Space Photos to Life

Since it began its full scientific operations at the second Lagrange point (L2), about one million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth last year, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has enchanted people around the world. Webb's photos have inspired many people to learn more about space and look at the night sky with unprecedented wonder and curiosity.