NASA Shares Historic New Images from Webb Space Telescope

From exoplanets to nebulae, download the latest high-resolution images that look deeper into the universe than ever seen before

Looking out into the universe is both humbling and inspiring. So whether you’re a budding astrophotographer yourself, or you’re simply interested in the unimaginable complexity of space, you’ll want to see the seven images shared by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope so far.

The first image was a “deep field” showing thousands of galaxies introduced by President Joe Biden on July 11, with four other images following on July 12, 2022. Since then, even more have been shared via the telescope’s Instagram account.

To celebrate this new era of astronomy, we’re recapping what the JWST is, which amazing space vistas have been captured, and where you can download the high-res images for free.

What is the James Webb Space Telescope?

Developed for over 20 years, the JWST is known as the “successor” to the Hubble Space Telescope. It was finally launched in December 2021, and spent six months traveling a million miles from Earth and slowly unfolding its enormous primary mirror and sunshield, which protects the delicate instruments on board.

The JWST is able to study planets outside the solar system and equally watch the oldest galaxies in the observable universe, from long wavelength visible light (red) through to mid-infrared (which the human eye can't see). Infrared can help us to look through dust and gas which otherwise block our view of faraway objects.

To prepare the below images, infrared light was converted into visible light so our eyes are able to pick up more details.

1. SMACS 0723, or “Webb’s First Deep Field”

This is the “deepest infrared image of the universe yet,” according to NASA. So, what are we looking at? In the foreground, we can see SMACS 0723, a cluster of bright, white galaxies. The light coming from this area has traveled for 4.6 billion years to reach the JWST, meaning we’re looking into the past!

One fascinating thing you’ll probably notice is that this cluster is so massive it bends and lenses the light coming from more distant galaxies behind, bringing them into sharper focus but also making them into long, stretched shapes. The oldest galaxies will generally be the faintest and most red-hued.

2. WASP-96b Spectrum

WASP-96b is an exoplanet, which just means it’s a planet outside of our solar system (just over 1,000 lightyears away, in fact). It is a gas giant that has about half the mass of Jupiter. It orbits very closely to its planet, completing a round every 3.4 days.

Webb’s image of WASP-96b is actually a spectrum. Spectra are charts that show an object’s light, broken down into its most basic components. Each element present in the planet’s atmosphere will give off light at a certain wavelength, which shows up on the chart. In the case of this planet, so far we’ve learned that it has a “puffy”, cloudy atmosphere with the presence of water molecules.

3. Southern Ring Nebula

This nebula is also known as the “eight-burst” nebula because it looked like a figure-eight when first seen through telescopes. It has a distinctive bubble shape, and is actually a planetary nebula (gas given off by dying stars), with two stars contained within it.

For Webb, this is an opportunity to study star death in unprecedented detail. In the image you can see waves of “foamy” gas spreading out from the two stars. Two different instrument imaged the nebula, with the right-hand image from MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) revealing the previously hidden second star.

4. Stephan’s Quintet

This strange arrangement of galaxies is really an optical illusion: one is only around 40 million lightyears away, while the others are 290 million! However, these distant four are truly fascinating: they are locked in a dance that constantly draws them closer together, and it’s thought that one day they might merge. This compact galaxy group was the first of its kind to be discovered, in 1877.

One exciting aspect of this image is in the top galaxy, where you can see illuminated material that suggests that the supermassive black hole present there is very active.

5. The “Cosmic Cliffs” of the Carina Nebula

Star-forming nebulae are illuminated by the young stars within them. They can form fantastical shapes, like huge swirls and tall pillars.

The Carina Nebula is around 7,500 lightyears from Earth, and contains a variety of star clusters and areas of complex activity. In the image, we can see hundreds of stars never seen by telescopes before. Jets and bubbles are clearly visible alongside mysterious structures that can be studied for years to come.

6. Jupiter and its moon, Europa

This image, which is not processed in the same way as the others, was used to see how well the telescope tracks nearby objects, like the planets of the solar system. It was captured by the NIRCam instrument, using a short-wavelength filter. Although the telescope is not designed to look at close-by objects like this, it was able to track the planet and capture surprising detail for an engineering test.

Jupiter’s distinctive bands are seen in yellows and browns, while its enormous storm, the Great Red Spot, here appears white. The tiny black circle to the left is the moon Europa, the smallest of the four Galilean moons orbiting the gas giant. It is slightly smaller than the Earth’s Moon.

7. The Cartwheel Galaxy

In this stunning image, which has been processed similarly to the first images above, we can see the distinctive dust “spokes” of the “cartwheel” galaxy, a ring type galaxy that may have been formed by an earlier collision. According to the Webb’s Instagram page, it may once have been a spiral galaxy (like the Milky Way) which collided with a smaller one. This formed two rings and clouds of gas that ripple outwards like the surface of a pond. You can also see two companion galaxies on the left.

Where can I download the high-res images for free?

If you want to explore these images in more detail and get inspired by outer space for your own artwork, NASA has shared them in various sizes and file types (including free printable posters).

Download James Webb Space Telescope Images in Full Resolution.

This article was originally published on July 12, 2022; updated with new images on August 8, 2022.

Capture the stars through your creativity with these resources

1. Looking for a rainy day activity? Try building a scale model of JWST’s predecessor, the Hubble telescope.

2. Download thousands of free images of space from Hubble’s archive.

3. Try out astrophotography yourself using your digital camera, with this course by Jheison Huerta.