james webb space telescope

Researchers have confirmed the existence of a neutron star at the center of Supernova 1987A, using the James Webb Space Telescope. This discovery resolves a long-standing mystery and contributes significantly to our understanding of supernovae and their role in the cosmos. Credit: HST, JWST/NIRSpec, J. LarssonThe discovery of a neutron star in Supernova 1987A illuminates the life cycle of stars and the cosmic origins of essential elements.An international team of astronomers including UCL’s (University College London’s)…

Scientists are baffled by a recent James Webb discovery. The discovery in question is detailed in a new study published in Nature. It details observations of a galaxy known as ZF-UDS-7329, which is estimated to have formed just 800 million years after the Big Bang. This makes it one of the earliest galaxies we know of, and yet its existence makes no sense based on our current universal models.The results of Webb’s observations show that the galaxy was observed as it existed over 11.5 billion years ago. However,…

The Kuiper Belt is a donut-shaped region that surrounds most of our solar system. This region is known as the home of Pluto, a dwarf planet that was originally considered one of the nine planets in our solar system. Not much is known about the Kuiper Belt other than that it’s full of “dead” objects. Now, though, Webb has discovered new ice worlds that don’t appear to be dead after all.Curious to learn more about the Kuiper Belt and its icy inhabitants, astronomers pointed the James Webb space telescope at the…

Our understanding of how galaxies form and the nature of dark matter could be completely upended, after new observations of a stellar population bigger than the Milky Way from more than 11 billion years ago that should not exist.A paper published in Nature details findings using new data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The results find that a massive galaxy in the early universe – observed 11.5 billion years ago (a cosmic redshift of 3.2) – has an extremely old population of stars formed much earlier – 1.5…

An illustration of a magnetic field generated by a supermassive black hole in the early universe, showing turbulent plasma outflows that help turn nearby gas clouds into stars. New findings suggest this process might be responsible for accelerated star formation in the first 50 million years of the universe. Credit: Roberto Molar Candanosa/Johns Hopkins University Which came first: Black holes or galaxies? Findings ‘completely shake up’ what we know about galaxy formation.Black holes not only existed at the dawn of time,…

This collection of 19 face-on spiral galaxies from the James Webb Space Telescope in near- and mid-infrared light is at once overwhelming and awe-inspiring. “Webb’s new images are extraordinary,” said Janice Lee, a project scientist for strategic initiatives at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. “They’re mind-blowing even for researchers who have studied these same galaxies for decades. Bubbles and filaments are resolved down to the smallest scales ever observed, and tell a story about the star…

The James Webb space telescope has amassed what the ESA is calling a “treasure trove” of new images of spiral galaxies. While the images themselves are beautiful, Webb’s observations of these 19 galaxies have revealed unknown structures within them, leaving scientists scrambling to learn more.The images were taken using the near- and mid-infrared systems on the James Webb, and they have provided us with a ton of detail to look at. Not only do they showcase the dust, gas, and stars within the galaxy, but they…

Featured in this image from the James Webb Space Telescope is Herbig-Haro 211 (HH 211), a bipolar jet travelling through interstellar space at supersonic speeds. At roughly 1,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Perseus, the object is one of the youngest and nearest protostellar outflows, making it an ideal target for JWST. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, T. Ray (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies)JWST’s detailed infrared image of HH 211 uncovers the dynamics of a young protostar’s outflows, offering new…

The James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam has revealed small, faint galaxies merging with larger ones in the early Universe, solving the mystery of detected hydrogen light that should have been obscured. This discovery, alongside advanced simulations, sheds light on galaxy formation and evolution in the Universe’s infancy. Credit: S. Martin-AlvarezOne of the key missions of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is to probe the early Universe. Now, the unmatched resolution and sensitivity of Webb’s NIRCam instrument…

The U.S. Postal Service issued a Priority Mail stamp Jan. 22, 2024, featuring an image of the Pillars of Creation from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Greg Breeding, an art director for the U.S. Postal Service, designed the stamp with an image provided by NASA, ESA, CSA, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. Credit: U.S. Postal ServiceThe images were taken by Webb’s two instruments, including MIRI, which was built and managed through launch by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.The U.S. Postal Service has issued two…