Deep Sky Gallery

Nebulas and galaxies from two space telescopes. Hubble sees mostly visible and ultraviolet light; Webb sees infrared. Dust blocks visible light but glows in infrared, so the same patch of sky can look completely different through each one.

Hubble and Webb, side by side

Drag the line (or use the arrow keys) to wipe from Hubble's view to Webb's.

The Pillars of Creation seen by Hubble The Pillars of Creation seen by Webb Hubble, 2014 · visible light Webb, 2022 · near-infrared

The Pillars of Creation

star-forming region in the Eagle Nebula (M16) · in the constellation Serpens · about 6,500 light-years away

Towers of cold gas and dust where new stars are forming. Near-infrared light passes through much of the dust, so in Webb's view the pillars turn see-through and many more stars appear, some of them still forming.

Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Hubble Heritage Project; image processing: Joseph DePasquale, Anton Koekemoer and Alyssa Pagan (STScI) · source · public domain

More pictures from Hubble and Webb. Click one to see it larger.

  1. NGC 695

    interacting spiral galaxy · about 450 million light-years · Hubble, 2008

  2. NGC 2392, the Lion Nebula

    planetary nebula · more than 2,870 light-years · Webb, 2026

  3. NGC 2623

    merging galaxies · about 250 million light-years · Hubble, 2017

  4. M66 (NGC 3627)

    spiral galaxy · about 36 million light-years · Hubble, 2024

  5. The jet of M87

    giant elliptical galaxy · about 54 million light-years · Hubble, 2000

  6. NGC 5793

    spiral galaxy · over 150 million light-years · Hubble, 2014

  7. The Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334)

    star-forming region · about 4,000 light-years · Webb, 2025

  8. The Lagoon Nebula

    stellar nursery · about 4,000 light-years · Hubble, 2018

  9. Hickson Compact Group 87

    group of four galaxies · about 400 million light-years · Hubble, 1999

  10. The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293)

    planetary nebula · about 690 light-years · Hubble, 2004

  11. M74 (NGC 628)

    spiral galaxy · about 32 million light-years · Hubble, 2024

All pictures are NASA releases (NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI for Webb; NASA, ESA and STScI for Hubble), public domain in the US, except NGC 2623, credited ESA/Hubble & NASA. Each picture's own credit is in its enlarged view.

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Image: · source