One Year with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope released its first images on July 12. As we celebrate its first year of collecting scientific imagery, let's look at our favorite captures.
JWST Clearest View of Neptune Zoomed Out (2023-09-21) by Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScINASA
Observing from near and far
Some of James Webb's observations were in our own solar system, exploring planets like Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, with new novelty.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows off its capabilities closer to home with its first image of Neptune. Not only has Webb captured the clearest view of this distant planet’s rings in more than 30 years, but its cameras reveal the ice giant in a whole new light.
Uranus' polar caps and rings
This zoomed-in image of Uranus, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) Feb. 6, 2023, reveals stunning views of the planet’s rings.
JWST Saturn NIRcam (2023-07-25) by NASA, ESA, CSA, Matthew Tiscareno (SETI Institute), Matthew Hedman (University of Idaho), Maryame El Moutamid (Cornell University), Mark Showalter (SETI Institute), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Heidi Hammel (AURA)NASA
Saturn's rings glow
On June 25, 2023, Webb turned to famed ringed world Saturn for its first near-infrared observations of the planet. Saturn itself appears extremely dark as methane gas absorbs almost all of the sunlight however the rings appear extremely bright.
Webb’s Jupiter Images Showcase Auroras
The auroras shine in a filter that is mapped to redder colors, which also highlights light reflected from lower clouds and upper hazes. A different filter, mapped to yellows and greens, shows hazes swirling around the northern and southern poles.
JWST Wolf-Rayet Star (2023-03-14) by Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production TeamNASA
Wolf-Rayet Star
The rare sight of a Wolf-Rayet star – among the most luminous, most massive, and most briefly detectable stars known – was one of the first observations made by Webb in June 2022.
Orion Bar
This image taken by Webb’s NIRCam shows a part of the Orion Nebula known as the Orion Bar. It is a region where energetic ultraviolet light from the Trapezium Cluster — located off the upper-left corner — interacts with dense molecular clouds.
JWST Tarantula Nebula (2022-11-30) by SCIENCE: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI IMAGE PROCESSING: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI)NASA
Tarantula Nebula
In this mosaic image stretching 340 light-years across, Webb’s NIRCam displays the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region in a new light, including tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars that were previously shrouded in cosmic dust.
Pillars of Creation, revisited in mid-infrared
The eerie landscape is captured by the mid-infrared instrument (MIRI). Mid-infrared light specializes in detailing where dust and gas is. The densest areas of dust are the darkest shades of gray, while the red region toward the top is where the dust is diffuse and cool.
JWST Phantom Galaxy (2022-09-27) by ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST and PHANGS-HST TeamsNASA
Phantom Galaxy
If this image from Webb’s MIRI looks dark and moody, that's because things look different in mid-infrared light than in visible, ultraviolet, or near-infrared light — the wavelengths you may be more used to seeing from Hubble, Webb and other telescopes.
JWST NGC 7496 (MIRI Image) (2023-02-16) by James Webb Space TelescopeNASA
One year down
But, a universe of discovery to go. Find out more about the James Webb Space Telescope here: webbtelescope.org
