Science Overview
The James Webb Space Telescope is a giant leap forward in our quest to understand the Universe and our origins. Webb is examining every phase of cosmic history: from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets to the evolution of our own solar system. Webb’s infrared-detecting technology reveals the hidden universe to our eyes: stars shrouded in clouds of dust, water in the atmospheres of other worlds, and the first light from some of the earliest galaxies ever formed.
James Webb Space Telescope
Science Themes
Explore Webb's four primary science themes as well as view/filter/search Webb's published research by science theme.
Early Universe
Webb is a powerful “time machine” with infrared vision that can see back over 13.5 billion years to the era in the early universe when the first stars and galaxies started forming. Webb is the first telescope with the power and capability to see the light from these distant objects, which has been shifted to the infrared due to the expansion of the universe. This period in the universe’s history is known as “Cosmic Dawn” – approximately 50 million years to one billion years after the big bang.
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Galaxies Over Time
Webb’s unprecedented infrared sensitivity is helping astronomers to compare the faintest, earliest galaxies to today’s grand spirals and ellipticals, helping us to understand how galaxies assemble over billions of years. Webb can observe galaxies in the distant universe as well as nearby galaxies helping scientists to better understand their growth and evolution. This includes how galaxies came to have central supermassive black holes, what the stellar populations in early galaxies look like, how elements heavier than hydrogen formed, details about galaxy mergers, and the process of galaxy formation itself.
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Star Lifecycle
Webb is advancing our understanding of the life cycles of stars, from star birth and planet formation to star death, wherein matter is released back into space, allowing new stars and planets to form from their remnants. Webb is able to see right through and into massive clouds of dust that are opaque to visible-light observatories like Hubble, where stars and planetary systems are being born.
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Other Worlds
Webb is rapidly discovering an abundance of chemicals in the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars outside of our solar system. In addition to other planetary systems, Webb is also studying objects within our own solar system. Webb has the capability to look at the light from a distant planet, orbiting another star, and tell us what its atmosphere is made of, and even give us information about its climate and weather. From gas giants to rocky planets, from lava worlds to those with skies of silica “snow,” Webb is showing us a rich variety of planets and helping scientists investigate the potential for life in other planetary systems.
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Explore Webb Research by Theme
NOTE: the feed below includes only Webb's Science Releases (peer reviewed science), Webb Science Release associated images/videos and Webb Science Blogs (early release science). These items can be further filtered by Webb's four primary science themes. Visit our News page for Webb's full news feed (including Webb press releases and Webb articles authored by other NASA organizations.)
Filter, Search and Sort Notes: Initial filtered results displayed below show articles that match all of the filters listed for all dates. Once one or more article type filters checked (Images, Science Blogs, Science Releases, Videos), only articles that match the checked filters (logical ORd) are displayed within the date range if selected. When a Webb-Theme is selected, that filters a subset of the article types selected. The "Search Latest Content" box searches for the terms entered within the subset of filtered articles. You can also sort the results by date in descending (newest first) or ascending (oldest first).
Filters
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found something they never expected — ultraviolet light from a galaxy that existed…
Located 12 million light-years away and undergoing rapid star formation, edge-on spiral galaxy Messier 82 (M82) is a scientifically unique…
Scientists used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to image edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82 and trace its evolutionary history. This…
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82, peering through dust to reveal 16.5 million stars and…
Side-by-side comparison of a portion of starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82) as seen by NASA’s Hubble (left) and James Webb…
Annotated image of the starburst galaxy Messier 82 captured by Webb's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument, with compass arrows, a scale…
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared imaging survey of Messier 82 (M82) is the most recent observation of this starburst…
As interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS began moving away from the Sun in December 2025, astronomers took the opportunity to turn NASA’s…
Researchers used the NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to map specific chemical contents of comet…
These graphs lay out the significant difference in composition between the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS and comets originating in our solar…
That’s the latest from researchers analyzing NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s observations of HD 80606 b, an exoplanet four times…
This artist’s concept shows exoplanet HD 80606 b being “roasted” as its orbit approaches periastron, the point at which it…
Webb's Science Goals Briefing
This video captures a briefing about Webb's science goals. It occured ~30 days before Webb's launch.
