ESAWebb News

Photo Release: Ghostly Cat’s Head Nebula lurks within sight of Hubble and Webb

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0100

The NASA/ESA Hubble and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescopes recently stared at an eerie star-forming scene within the Carina Nebula, a massive gas and dust cloud located approximately 7,500 light-years away from Earth. The two telescopes offer complementary views of the shadowy form, nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula, which reflects the “magical” process of star formation. Hubble’s visible-light view shows the cat as a dark, elongated dust pillar and hints of young forming stars, while Webb’s infrared-light imagery unveils many stars and other hidden details.

Science Release: Webb measures distance to farthest fast radio burst, suggesting origin

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 20:00:00 +0200

First discovered in 2007, fast radio bursts are enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio emission from the distant Universe. Their origin remains uncertain, particularly since most are seen once and never again. Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have pinpointed the host galaxy of the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) seen to date. Their finding has implications for what kind of energetic event creates these bursts.

Photo Release: Webb captures commotion from nebula’s stellar jets

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0200

A technicolor dreamscape is revealed in this new image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. It portrays a stellar nursery known as NGC 7129, a nebula that holds numerous protostars and stars within its fields of gas and dust. Webb captured infrared light, which pierces through the dense matter that scatters or absorbs other types of light. This region, rife with stellar objects in different stages of their lives, offers an opportunity to explore how stars shape their surrounding environment.

Science Release: Webb provides crash course on planet-shattering collisions

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0200

In the early history of our Solar System, a Mars-sized object called Theia smashed into the infant Earth, vapourising massive amounts of rock and blasting it into space. Some of that material coalesced into the Moon. Astronomers have now used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to examine a class of young stellar systems that show signs of similar upheavals, providing clues to the amount of energy in their collisions. The results offer insights into the composition and evolution of these chaotic systems.

Photo Release: Webb reveals stunning panorama of star formation

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 is one of the largest images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope released to the public so far. Using Webb, astronomers searched IC 348 for brown dwarfs, which are less massive than the smallest stars. The researchers discovered brown dwarfs just twice the mass of Jupiter, bringing the study of these curious objects into a new mass range.

Science Release: Webb reveals dust and water surviving in the extreme environment around the Milky Way’s central black hole

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0200

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*.

Photo Release: Lion Nebula roars to life for Webb

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Observing across the starry “plains” of space, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has taken images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula.

Photo Release: Webb uncovers unusual galaxy shaped by cosmic collision

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

In new images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to celebrate its fourth science anniversary, a familiar galaxy transforms into something far richer, and far more complex, than ever seen before. Webb’s unprecedented sensitivity across near- and mid-infrared wavelengths cuts through the thick lanes of dust that obscure Centaurus A’s centre in visible light, showing a densely packed tapestry of individual stars and an active, everchanging galaxy. These images mark four years of better-than-anticipated performance and successful science operations for the most powerful space telescope in history.

Science Release: Webb studies how a planet survived death of its star

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0200

An international team of astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to watch the Jupiter-sized exoplanet WD 1856 b transit its host star, measuring the planet’s mass and temperature and even detecting its atmosphere. They found that the planet is significantly warmer than expected and determined how it most likely reached its very tight orbit around the star, a white dwarf. The results are our first window into the future of planets like Jupiter after the death of the Sun, billions of years into the future.

Photo Release: Webb pinpoints millions of stars within Cigar Galaxy

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Located 12 million light-years away and undergoing rapid star formation, edge-on spiral galaxy Messier 82 (M82) is a scientifically unique sight to behold, and now the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has revealed previously unseen details.