NASA Spaceflight
• Haygen Warren
Teams behind the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes have released new images capturing stellar nurseries, galaxies and gravitational lensing. Webb is jointly operated by NASA and the European Space Agency, with the Canadian Space Agency also participating; both observatories contributed to the latest collection.
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Teams behind the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes have released new images capturing stellar nurseries, galaxies and gravitational lensing. Webb is jointly operated by NASA and the European Space Agency, with the Canadian Space Agency also participating; both observatories contributed to the latest collection.
The newly observed “little red dots” have prompted questions about what they can reveal about the early universe. Scientists do not yet know what the objects are or what they may show, making their identification a key step in assessing their significance for understanding cosmic origins.
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Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a distant fast radio burst, seeking clues to how these brief, powerful radio signals originate. The observations add evidence from a far-off event to a still-unresolved astrophysical question; the available report provides no further details on the burst or findings.
Astronomers are using the James Webb Space Telescope to study young star systems and their extreme debris disks, seeking evidence about how planetary systems evolve. The observations may help test theories about the early solar system, including the hypothesis that a Mars-sized body called Theia collided with the infant Earth.
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Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected the most distant fast radio burst ever observed, more than doubling the previous distance record. The burst’s source surprised scientists, though the available report does not specify what they found unexpected.
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James Webb Space Telescope observations indicate that galaxies were producing and dispersing heavy elements just 500 million years after the Big Bang. Separately, NASA selected PRIMA, a far-infrared mission concept using spare Webb hardware, for further development toward a potential 2033 launch.
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NASA has selected PRIMA as the inaugural mission in its new Probe Explorers class, advancing development of a far-infrared space telescope. The mission is planned for launch in 2033, establishing the first operational path for the agency’s new class of space science probes.
NASA says the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could operate for as long as 22 years—more than twice its previously announced lifespan—even before reaching its planned orbit. The extended mission would give the flagship observatory substantially more time to conduct wide-field space science and sustain long-term research programs.
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Our James Webb Space Telescope coverage provides a detailed look at the most powerful space telescope ever built. Stay informed on its mission to explore the universe's distant realms, from the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang to the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets, and the groundbreaking discoveries it promises to unveil.
