JWST

January 1 2026

A Dance of Galaxies

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has spied a pair of dwarf galaxies engaged in a gravitational dance. These two galaxies are named NGC 4490 and NGC 4485, and they’re located about 24 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs). Aside from the Milky Way’s own dwarf companions (the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds), this is the closest known interacting dwarf-dwarf system where astronomers have directly observed both a gas bridge and resolved stellar populations.

January 1 2026

JWST Captures Colliding Spiral Galaxies

Mid-infrared observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, shown in white, gray, and red, are combined here with X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, highlighted in blue. Together, these different wavelengths reveal a detailed and layered view of a pair of colliding spiral galaxies, captured in an image released on Dec. 1, 2025.

November 30 2025

Webb First to Show 4 Dust Shells ‘Spiraling’ Apep, Limits Long Orbit

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a crisp mid-infrared image of a system of four serpentine spirals of dust, one expanding beyond the next in precisely the same pattern. These shells were emitted over the last 700 years by two aging Wolf-Rayet stars in a system known as Apep, named after the Egyptian god of chaos.

October 3 2025

James Webb Telescope Spots ‘Cosmic Owl,’ Super-Rare Structure Formed from Colliding Ring Galaxies

Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a peculiar owl-faced structure formed by the rare collision of two ring galaxies. This cosmic event, located billions of light-years away, offers a unique opportunity to study galaxy evolution. Ring galaxies like Hoag’s Object emerge when a smaller galaxy passes through a larger one, creating shock waves that push stars and gas into a ring around a central core.

October 3 2025

NASA’s Webb Observes Immense Stellar Jet on Outskirts of Our Milky Way

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured a rare and massive stellar jet erupting from a growing protostar in the Sharpless 2-284 nebula. The jet spans 8 light-years—twice the distance to Alpha Centauri—and resembles a double-bladed lightsaber. The protostar, about ten times the mass of our Sun, lies 15,000 light-years away. Scientists were surprised by the discovery, as such powerful outflows of molecular hydrogen from massive stars are uncommon in our galaxy.

September 2 2025

Cosmic Conversations

The next cosmic conversations will be about the “Red Dots” the JWST has observed and what they might tell us about the formation of the first stars and galaxies. Plan on joining this hybrid in-person/zoom event on Tuesday September 16.

September 2 2025

NASA’s Webb Traces Details of Complex Planetary Nebula

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured detailed images of the planetary nebula NGC 6072, revealing a complex and asymmetrical structure formed by multiple outflows of gas from a dying star. These observations provide insight into the late stages of stellar evolution and the interactions shaping the nebula’s unique appearance.

August 3 2025

NASA’s Webb Scratches Beyond Surface of Cat’s Paw for 3rd Anniversary

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope marked its third year of scientific achievement by capturing detailed images of the Cat’s Paw Nebula, a nearby star-forming region. The telescope’s advanced near-infrared capabilities allowed astronomers to peer beneath the nebula’s surface, revealing the dynamic processes of star formation.

June 3 2025

Most Distant Galaxy Confirmed in New JWST Images

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has confirmed the most distant bright galaxy known to date, MoM-z14, which existed in a universe just 280 million years old. This discovery challenges traditional galaxy formation theories and follows hints from the Hubble Space Telescope. The “Mirage or Miracle” survey is investigating whether these bright early galaxies are genuinely as distant as suspected, utilizing the Near-Infrared Spectrograph for further observations.

May 2 2025

With NASA’s Webb, Dying Star’s Energetic Display Comes into Full Focus

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the most detailed image of planetary nebula NGC 1514, revealing intricate dust clumps and holes in its bright central region due to mid-infrared observations. This nebula, formed over 4,000 years, centers around a binary star system, one of which, a former massive star, expelled gas and dust during its evolution, now visible thanks to Webb’s advanced imaging capabilities. The findings represent a significant advancement in understanding the turbulent nature of such nebulae.