The Southern Ring Nebula is seen in near-infrared light. This scene was created by a white dwarf star – the remains of a star like our Sun after it shed its outer layers and stopped burning fuel through nuclear fusion. Those outer layers now form the ejected shells all along this view. (NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute)

The cosmic “cliffs” of the Carina Nebula, captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. This image reveals previously obscured areas of star birth. The region is actually the edge of a gigantic, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, roughly 7,600 light-years away. The “steam” that appears to rise from the celestial “mountains” is actually ionized gas and hot dust streaming away from the nebula due to intense, ultraviolet radiation. (NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute)

With its powerful, mid-infrared vision, the Mid-Infrared Instrument shows never-before-seen details of Stephan’s Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies. MIRI pierced through dust-enshrouded regions to reveal huge shock waves and tidal tails, gas and stars stripped from the outer regions of the galaxies by interactions. It also unveiled hidden areas of star formation. (NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute)

Thousands of galaxies flood this near-infrared image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 in the telescope’s first “deep field” image. High-resolution imaging from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope combined with a natural effect known as gravitational lensing made this finely detailed image possible. (NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute)

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is the largest, most complex telescope ever launched into space is fully deployed. Webb will be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. (NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute)