ESAWebb News

Science Release: Webb finds strongest evidence yet for "black hole stars”

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

The complex puzzle of the objects known as little red dots (LRDs) has gradually become more complete since their initial discovery by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in 2022. Now a particular little red dot’s spectrum is helping connect many of the pieces.

Science Release: Webb reveals black hole that formed before its galaxy

Wed, 27 May 2026 17:00:00 +0200

Using the unprecedented imaging and spectroscopic power of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, researchers have mapped the motion and composition of gas orbiting a black hole in the centre of Abell2744-QSO1, a tiny galaxy more than 13 billion light-years away. The results suggest that the 50-million-solar-mass black hole predates its host galaxy, possibly forming within the first second of the Big Bang, and must have been immense from the start.

Science Release: Webb looks into the cradles of star clusters, finds massive clusters emerge faster

Wed, 06 May 2026 12:00:00 +0200

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope together with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have looked deeply at thousands of young star clusters in four nearby galaxies, studying clusters at different stages of evolution. Their findings show that more massive star clusters emerge more quickly from the clouds they are born in, clearing away gas and filling the galaxy with ultraviolet light. The result gives us a more detailed understanding of star formation in galaxies, as well as how and where planets can form.

Science Release: Webb redefines dividing line between planets and stars

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Where is the dividing line between stars and the most massive planets? Scientists think it may depend on how they formed. Was it from a bottom-up approach, gradually growing larger over time, or a top-down approach in which a large collection of gas and dust fragments into smaller, planet-sized bits? Astronomers used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to study an object weighing about 15 times as much as Jupiter, which puts it right on the dividing line between the two processes. They found that the object, called 29 Cygni b, likely formed from the bottom up rather than the top down. In other words, it formed like a planet, not a star.

Photo Release: Webb and Hubble share most comprehensive view of Saturn to date

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0100

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have joined forces to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways.

Photo Release: Webb examines Cranium Nebula

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +0100

Astronomers are losing their heads over the latest images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, which bear a striking resemblance to a transparent cosmic cranium, revealing the “brain” inside. The nebula, officially named PMR 1, is being created by an aging star that is expelling its outer layers.

Science Release: Webb locates former star that exploded as supernova

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +0100

For the first time, astronomers have used images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to identify a supernova progenitor that could not be seen by any other telescope: a red supergiant that was located in a nearby galaxy. The supergiant’s surroundings were surprisingly dusty - dusty enough to render it invisible to the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Science Release: Webb maps the mysterious upper atmosphere of Uranus

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0100

For the first time, an international team of astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet. Using Webb’s NIRSpec instrument, the team observed Uranus for nearly a full rotation, detecting the faint glow from molecules high above the clouds. These unique data provide the most detailed portrait yet of where the planet’s auroras form, how they are influenced by its unusually tilted magnetic field, and how Uranus’s atmosphere has continued to cool over the past three decades. The results offer a new window into how ice-giant planets distribute energy in their upper layers.

Science Release: Webb pushes boundaries of observable Universe closer to Big Bang

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0100

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has topped itself once again, delivering on its promise to push the boundaries of the observable Universe closer to cosmic dawn with the confirmation of a bright galaxy that existed 280 million years after the Big Bang.

Photo Release: Intricacies of the Helix Nebula revealed by Webb

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0100

First spotted in the early 1800s, the Helix Nebula has become one of the most iconic planetary nebulas in the sky as it’s recognised for its striking, ring-like shape. One of the closest planetary nebulas to Earth, it has become a favourite among astronomers using ground- and space-based telescopes to study the final moments of a dying star in the greatest detail. The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has now leveled those studies up, offering the clearest infrared look at this familiar object.