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James Webb Space Telescope

The next big space telescope is named in honor of James Webb, a former head of NASA who oversaw the Mercury and Gemini missions that prepared the agency for the Apollo Moon flights. It will observe the universe at infrared wavelengths, and will be deployed one million miles from Earth. That location will shield it from the warmth of Earth, which produces a lot of infrared energy.

Featured Images

two views of the plumes from enceladus

Still Going September 26, 2023
infrared view of embryonic star firing jets into the material around it

Shocking Behavior September 15, 2023
false-color infrared image of galaxy M51 by james webb space telescope

Busy Whirlpool September 2, 2023
jwst image of saturn, rings, and moons

Seeing Saturn in a New Light July 3, 2023

Colorful Aftermath April 13, 2023
jwst image of a star that will explode as a supernova

Future Blast March 14, 2023
field of galaxies from webb telescope

Pandora's Bounty February 16, 2023
james webb telescope view of a dark stellar nursery

Dark Nursery January 24, 2023
JWST image of a giant stellar nursery

Busy Nursery January 11, 2023
merging galaxies from webb, hubble space telescopes

Dual Merger October 27, 2022
james webb space telescope view of the pillars of creation

New Look at Starbirth October 23, 2022
james webb space telescope view of a binary star system producing rings of dust

Making Rings October 16, 2022
jwst image of neptune, rings, triton, and other moons

Peeking at a Giant September 24, 2022
james webb telescope view of portion of the orion nebula

Starry Bar September 13, 2022
james webb space telescope image of tarantula nebula

Stars Galore September 9, 2022
james webb telescope view of a planetary nebula

Dying Beauty July 13, 2022
First full-color James Webb Space Telescope image

First View July 11, 2022
view of webb telescope mirror in space

Space Selfie February 14, 2022
James Webb Space Telescope launches on December 25, 2021

On its Way! December 25, 2021
a white rocket, holding james webb space telescope, stands on a launch pad surrounded by dense jungle

Ready! December 24, 2021
Artist's concept of James Webb Space Telescope at work

Taking Shape March 16, 2016

Radio Programs

Moon and Saturn A water sprinkler that keeps on spinnin’ September 26, 2023

Busy Nursery An amazing stellar nursery July 23, 2023

Planning Ahead Planning decades ahead March 31, 2023

Early Galaxies Deep looks at the first galaxies March 6, 2023

Viewing Spot A good spot for watching the universe May 12, 2022

Infrared Seeing beyond the range of the human eye May 11, 2022

More Moon and Companions Stepping toward the stars December 14, 2017