Hubble vs Webb · the veil lifts

James Webb Space Telescope

Webb's infrared vision pierces the dust that blocked Hubble entirely. Watch the same sky transform — then drag the divider yourself.

Pillars of Creation

Towering columns of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, 6,500 light-years away, where new stars are being born inside opaque pillars of hydrogen.

Hubble 2014Webb 2022

James Webb Space Telescope image of Pillars of Creation

Hubble Space Telescope image of Pillars of Creation

Hubble · WFC3/UVIS

Webb · NIRCam

Hubble 2014: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; J. DePasquale, A. Koekemoer, A. Pagan (STScI)

Pillars of Creation Carina Nebula Southern Ring Nebula Stephan's Quintet SMACS 0723 Deep Field Tarantula Nebula Cartwheel Galaxy Neptune Rings

All Comparisons

Pillars of Creation

Towering columns of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, 6,500 light-years away, where new stars are being born inside opaque pillars of hydrogen.

Hubble 2014Webb 2022

Hubble · WFC3/UVIS

Webb · NIRCam

Hubble 2014: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; J. DePasquale, A. Koekemoer, A. Pagan (STScI)

Carina Nebula

The 'Cosmic Cliffs' of NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula — a star-forming region 7,600 light-years away where Webb pierced through dust to reveal hundreds of previously hidden newborn stars.

Hubble 2010Webb 2022

James Webb Space Telescope image of Carina Nebula

Hubble Space Telescope image of Carina Nebula

Hubble · WFC3

Webb · NIRCam

Hubble 2010: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Southern Ring Nebula

NGC 3132, a planetary nebula 2,500 light-years away. Webb revealed a second, previously unseen dying star at its center, shedding new light on how stars seed space with elements.

Hubble 1998Webb 2022

James Webb Space Telescope image of Southern Ring Nebula

Hubble Space Telescope image of Southern Ring Nebula

Hubble · WFPC2

Webb · NIRCam

Hubble 1998: The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/NASA) · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Stephan's Quintet

A compact group of five galaxies in Pegasus, 290 million light-years away. Webb's wide-field view — the largest to date — revealed shock waves from one galaxy plowing through the others.

Hubble 1999Webb 2022

James Webb Space Telescope image of Stephan's Quintet

Hubble Space Telescope image of Stephan's Quintet

Hubble · WFPC2

Webb · NIRCam

Hubble 1999: NASA/ESA Hubble (STScI) · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

SMACS 0723 Deep Field

Webb's first deep-field image — the galaxy cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327, whose gravity lenses thousands of far more distant galaxies into view. The Hubble side is the same cluster from the RELICS survey.

Hubble 2017Webb 2022

James Webb Space Telescope image of SMACS 0723 Deep Field

Hubble Space Telescope image of SMACS 0723 Deep Field

Hubble · ACS + WFC3/IR

Webb · NIRCam

Hubble 2017: NASA, ESA, HST — RELICS Treasury Program (GO 14096) · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Tarantula Nebula

30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud — the largest and brightest star-forming region in our galactic neighborhood, 161,000 light-years away. Webb revealed tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars.

Hubble 2012Webb 2022

James Webb Space Telescope image of Tarantula Nebula

Hubble Space Telescope image of Tarantula Nebula

Hubble · WFC3 + ACS mosaic

Webb · NIRCam

Hubble 2012: NASA, ESA, D. Lennon, E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI) et al. · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team

Cartwheel Galaxy

A rare ring galaxy 500 million light-years away, shaped by a high-speed collision. Webb revealed the ring structure with unprecedented clarity, showing star formation along the outer ring and the galaxy's chaotic core.

Hubble 1995Webb 2022

James Webb Space Telescope image of Cartwheel Galaxy

Hubble Space Telescope image of Cartwheel Galaxy

Hubble · WFPC2

Webb · NIRCam + MIRI

Hubble 1995: NASA, ESA, and K. Borne (STScI) · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team

Neptune Rings

Webb captured Neptune's rings in infrared with a clarity not seen since Voyager 2 flew past in 1989, revealing the planet's fainter dust bands and seven of its moons. The Hubble side is its 2021 visible-light view.

Hubble 2021Webb 2022

James Webb Space Telescope image of Neptune Rings

Hubble Space Telescope image of Neptune Rings

Hubble · WFC3/UVIS

Webb · NIRCam

Hubble 2021: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (NASA-GSFC), M. H. Wong (UC Berkeley); A. Pagan (STScI) · Webb 2022: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; J. DePasquale (STScI), N. Rowe-Gurney (NASA-GSFC)

Latest JWST Releases

James Webb Space Telescope

Pillars of Creation

All Comparisons

Pillars of Creation

Carina Nebula

Southern Ring Nebula

Stephan's Quintet

SMACS 0723 Deep Field

Tarantula Nebula

Cartwheel Galaxy

Neptune Rings

Latest JWST Releases

Webb Redefines Dividing Line Between Planets, Stars

Webb Hubble Share Most Comprehensive View of Saturn to Date

M90

Messier 58

Messier 64

Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) - Webb + Chandra

Messier 101

How NASA’s Webb Helped Rule Out Asteroid’s Chance of 2032 Lunar Impact

NASA Reveals New Details About Dark Matter’s Influence on Universe

Webb Examines Cranium Nebula

Webb Locates Former Star That Exploded as Supernova

The stellar lifecycle in a nearby spiral

Webb maps the mysterious upper atmosphere of Uranus

Webb Pushes Boundaries of Observable Universe Closer to Big Bang

NASA Telescopes Spot Surprisingly Mature Cluster in Early Universe

NGC 6357/Pismis 24

Dwarf stars in a glittering sky

Webb Identifies Earliest Supernova to Date, Distant Host Galaxy

A dance of dwarf galaxies

NGC 2207 and IC 2163: A Pair of Galactic Cornucopia

Webb witnesses a feasting supermassive black hole in the early Universe

CANUCS-LRD-z8.6 in MACS J1149.5+2223

Webb First to Show 4 Dust Shells 'Spiraling' Apep, Limits Long Orbit

The Red Spider Nebula, caught by Webb

Webb brings cosmic lenses into focus

Webb Studies Moon-Forming Disk Around Massive Planet

Webb Explores Largest Star-Forming Cloud in Milky Way

Webb Observes Immense Stellar Jet on Outskirts of Our Milky Way

NASA Study: Celestial ‘Accident’ Sheds Light on Jupiter, Saturn Riddle

Webb Looks at Earth-sized, Habitable-zone Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 e

Glittering Glimpse of Star Birth From NASA's Webb Telescope

Dusty wisps round a dusty disc

Webb Space Telescope Observes Interstellar Comet

A close look at a local galaxy

Webb Finds Planet-Forming Disks Lived Longer in Early Universe

NGC 346: Hubble and Webb Observations

Firefly Sparkle Galaxy and Companions in Galaxy Cluster MACS J1423

Webb finds surprises in Spiderweb protocluster field

Tracing spiral arms in infrared

Hats Off to NASA's Webb: Sombrero Galaxy Dazzles in New Image

Sombrero Galaxy

Galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207

NASA’s Webb, Hubble Examine Galaxy Pair

Catching the edge of the phantom galaxy

Webb finds candidates for first young brown dwarfs outside the Milky Way

The Exotic Stellar Population of Westerlund 1

Centaur 29P Outgassing

Webb Researchers Discover Lensed Supernova, Confirm Hubble Tension

In Odd Galaxy, NASA’s Webb Finds Potential Missing Link to First Stars

1000 Days in Space for Webb

Webb Provides Another Look Into Galactic Collisions

Arp 107

Dust Rings of Wolf-Rayet 140

Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula

Southern Ring Nebula

Stephan's Quintet

Webb's First Deep Field — SMACS 0723

The Weekly Space Digest

James Webb Space Telescope

Pillars of Creation

All Comparisons

Pillars of Creation

Carina Nebula

Southern Ring Nebula

Stephan's Quintet

SMACS 0723 Deep Field

Tarantula Nebula

Cartwheel Galaxy