Planets, like those in our solar system, form in a bottom-up process where small bits of rock and ice clump together and grow larger over time. But the heftier the planet, the harder it is to explain its formation that way.
NASA’s 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.