Young stars forming in the Tarantula Nebula, James Webb Space Telescope

© NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Tea

A galactic spider's web. World Space Week

It's World Space Week, an opportunity to celebrate humanity's extraterrestrial achievements, as well as the benefits that come from space exploration and technology. The star of our homepage is actually a star-forming region known as the Tarantula Nebula, found in the same group of galaxies as our Milky Way. This detailed image was captured by the powerful James Webb Space Telescope and shows thousands of never-before-seen stars, previously obscured by cosmic dust. The nebula's colossal size and dynamic energy offer plenty of compelling material for astronomers and stargazers of all stripes.