Amid a crowded field of galaxies captured by #NASAWebb, one otherwise inconspicuous galaxy stands out for emitting a light signature that astronomers have never seen before. An observational astronomer and a theorist investigated potential causes. (1/5)

NEW: NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft measured the feeble glow that comes from myriad galaxies filling the universe. The finding has settled a long-standing mystery about the source of background light: https://bit.ly/3X5XQ5D

These two images of the Whirlpool Galaxy were produced 160 years apart. The first is an 1845 sketch of the galaxy by Irish astronomer William Parsons. The second was taken by Hubble in 2005. But the resemblance is easy to see.

Credit: William Parsons; NASA/ESA. #astronomy

This visualization examines the three-dimensional structure of Arp 142, a pair of interacting galaxies nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg, as seen in near-infrared light by #NASAWebb.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CLgW-NemD10

An interacting galaxy duo known as the Penguin and Egg marks #NASAWebb’s second anniversary of science operations! This near- and mid-infrared light image glitters with detail, including an upside-down U-shaped blue glow that highlights their interaction: https://webbtelescope.pub/4eWBxpZ

Coming tomorrow at 10 a.m. EDT! Who's excited? ✋ #NASAWebb

For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to directly image has been captured by #NASAWebb’s Near-Infrared Camera. In this stunning image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the upper left of this image—a young, nearby star-forming region. (1/7) 🧵

Cataloging asteroids is tricky because they are faint and they don't stop to be photographed as they zip along their orbits around the Sun. Astronomers recently used a trove of archived Hubble images to snag a largely unseen population of smaller asteroids in their tracks. (1/6)

Did you know you can zoom into the images from #NASAWebb?

Click on any of Webb’s images and hit “Zoom Image.” Find anything you hadn’t yet seen?

Zoom: https://webbtelescope.pub/3PD8fCk

#WomenAstronomersDay: Celebrate the lives of space pioneers Nancy Grace Roman and Vera Rubin! Dr. Roman was NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy. Dr. Rubin found evidence for dark matter. Both worked tirelessly for the advancement of women in science. Credit: STScI.

Happy first anniversary, #NASAWebb! One year after beginning science operations, Webb is celebrating with a highly detailed image of the closest star-forming region to Earth. Peer deeper in the cloud: https://webbtelescope.pub/3JUoBTA

#JWST #astronomy #space

#NASAWebb researchers have made major strides in confirming the source of dust in the early universe with observations of two dying stars (supernovas!): https://webbtelescope.pub/3CRzTnL
#JWST #astronomy #space #supernova

The *original* ringed planet reigns supreme with #NASAWebb.

#Saturn appears dark in this image because methane gas absorbs almost all the sunlight falling on the atmosphere at this infrared wavelength. But its iconic rings are brilliantly bright: https://webbtelescope.pub/44nXE2p

Watch this video tour of the nebula NGC 1333 that lies on the edge of a gigantic dark cloud of cold molecular hydrogen laced with soot-like dust. #HubbleAnniversary #Hubble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLxF3g4yWVI

#Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky. But the two-dimensional representation gives the impression that the stars are all at the same distance.

This scientific visualization addresses both of these issues by viewing the Orion constellation from a three-dimensional perspective. The true space distribution of the constellation as well as how stellar brightness changes with viewing position are revealed by circling around the stars.

Credit: F. Summers (STScI).

The first #NASAWebb results from TRAPPIST-1 are in! Measurements of mid-infrared light from TRAPPIST-1 b indicate that the rocky Earth-sized planet is hot enough to bake pizza and is probably devoid of atmosphere. What does this mean? ➡️ https://webbtelescope.pub/3nlCcLc
#space #astronomy #JWST #Trappist1b

For the first time, astronomers using Hubble have directly measured the mass of a single, isolated white dwarf—the surviving core of a burned-out Sun-like star: https://bit.ly/3X3CcMo
#Hubble #spacenews #space #WhiteDwarf #astronomy

#NASAWebb confirmed its first exoplanet! Classified as LHS 475 b, the planet is rocky and almost precisely the same size as Earth. It’s only 41 light-years away and whips around its star in just two days. Does it have an atmosphere? #AAS241 #JWST https://webbtelescope.pub/3QsE6V6

The moment we’ll never forget: watching #NASAWebb head off into the universe, successfully performing its very first operation—the deployment of the solar array that powers the rest of its mission. 🤩
Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA. #WebbLaunchAnniversary #STScI #JWST