Webb's first images - highlights

The dawn of a new era in astronomy has begun as the world gets its first look at the full capabilities of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope’s first full-colour images and spectroscopic data, which uncover a spectacular collection of cosmic features that have remained elusive until now, were released on 12 July 2022.

This montage shows a few of the highlights:

• Top left: the Southern Ring planetary nebula in near- and mid-infrared, the product of a dying star. Read more about this object
• Top right: star formation in the Carina Nebula. Read more about this object
• Bottom left: Stephan’s Quintet, an interacting galaxy group. Read more about this object
• Bottom right: Webb’s first deep field. Read more about this object