Tarantula Nebula shown by Webb in stunning detail

Image courtesy of NASA

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured images of the "Tarantula Nebula" AKA: the "30 Doradus Nebula", one of the largest nebulae discovered by scientists.

Found in the "Local Group" of galaxies, so named because the Milky Way lies at the center, the Tarantula Nebula is estimated to have a diameter of around 550 light-years across and a combined mass of around one million times that of our own sun. Within this mass of gases, some of the hottest stars known to mankind are born. Thus, scientists believe the Tarantula Nebula could hold vital clues to the formation process of stars and the universe itself.

The first image (above), taken by Webb's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) with the aid of the telescope's Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), showcases a 340 light-year-across region of the nebula where the majority of stars are formed as well as the various pillars and formations of cosmic dust that earnt the nebula its name. Of particular note are the stars glowing blue as they are younger stars in the early stages of their life.

Image courtesy of NASA

The second image (above) was taken by Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and allows for a more detailed never-before-seen view of the pillars that make up the nebula. The various hydrocarbons (shown in blue and purple) and other materials involved in the creation glow brightly while the hotter stars are filtered out.

Webb's current progress can be tracked via NASA's "Where is Webb?" page.