At left, an illustration shows a gas giant exoplanet whose right half is illuminated while the left half is in shadow. It is mostly orange shading to pinks and purples at the two poles and shows swirling bands of clouds. Three dark splotches on its upper right show locations where comet fragments impacted the cloudtops, and another incoming comet fragment is seen as a bright spot against the nightside. The planet is against a black background speckled with stars. In the upper right corner of the image shines a small white blob representing its host star. A faint edge-on disk of dust extending from 10 o’clock to 4 o’clock on the star is also white. The words “Artist’s Concept” are at lower left.

Where is the dividing line between stars and the most massive planets? Scientists think it may depend on how they formed. (1/4) 🧵 🔭

#NASAWebb and #NASARoman will help us answer questions about the fundamental nature of the universe: https://go.nasa.gov/41uY0VQ

Illustration shows 4 people at work within the outline of a large cloud. At center is a woman with a ponytail and dark skin whose hand is raised and close to the Roman Space Telescope body floating in space next to small white stars. The words, Roman Research Nexus, arc above the pair under the cloud outline. To her left are two other people, one with darker skin who is wearing headphones and writing and another with lighter skin, also with headphones, at a laptop. At right is a man with glasses, short wavy brown hair and light skin who is looking left, toward the telescope. In the background within the cloud shape, there are zeros and ones falling in the left third. At center is part of an outline of Roman’s camera’s field of view, and at right are representations of charts. Above the cloud is a darker background with simpler dark blue shapes. From left to right, they show a sphere following a path, a large spiral galaxy, a large ringed planet, and an object with diffraction spikes.

If #NASARoman’s first 5 years of data was fine sand, it would create a pile about as large as the Statue of Liberty. How do you analyze so much data? On the Roman Research Nexus: in the cloud with real-time sharing and collaboration: https://news.stsci.edu/4cGvYwH

An individual stands in front of a large window displaying NASA and Roman Space Telescope Goddard logos. They hold a colorful painting depicting a lively scene with multiple people and a telescope. Behind the window, there's a large structure covered in black material.

STScI's Jenn Kotler painted this stunning piece live at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center during a visit to view #NASARoman.

The artwork—which took Kotler five and a half hours to complete—highlights the powerful human stories behind groundbreaking science.

A spiral galaxy, seen tilted diagonally from upper left to lower right. It has a blue-white, glowing spot at its core. Its oval-shaped disk glows faintly blue throughout with light from its many stars. The disk is filled with waves and strands of bright red dust that swirl around the core. At places there are holes torn in the dust, while elsewhere it forms dense clumps that glow orange. Several tiny, distant galaxies appear across the background, which is black.

Infrared light highlights warm dust and bright star clusters in this image of galaxy NGC 5134 captured by #NASAWebb. Billions of small stars create the galaxy’s faint blue glow. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Leroy.

OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for an Astronomical Optics Scientist possessing a combination of astronomical, computational and technical expertise to characterize, optimize, and model the optical performance of observatories: https://bit.ly/4vvuzjW

NASA's Webb Redefines Dividing Line Between Planets, Stars - NASA Science Planets, like those in our solar system, form in a bottom-up process where small bits of rock and ice clump together and grow larger over time. But the

They found that 29 Cygni b likely formed from the bottom up rather than the top down. In other words, it formed like a planet, not a star. (4/4) 🔭 🧪

A black square labeled “29 Cyg” at upper right. In the middle, a white star symbol is surrounded by a small blue trapezoid that widens from upper left to lower right of the star. The is star labeled with a capital A. The trapezoid indicates where the star’s light has been blocked by a coronagraph. To the star’s left beyond the blue trapezoid at 8 o’clock is a fuzzy white blob labeled with a lower-case b.

To answer these questions, astronomers used #NASAWebb to study 29 Cygni b, an object weighing about 15 times as much as Jupiter, which puts it right on the dividing line between the two processes. (3/4)

Was it from a bottom-up approach, gradually growing larger over time, or a top-down approach in which a large collection of gas and dust fragments into smaller, planet-sized bits? (2/4)

At left, an illustration shows a gas giant exoplanet whose right half is illuminated while the left half is in shadow. It is mostly orange shading to pinks and purples at the two poles and shows swirling bands of clouds. Three dark splotches on its upper right show locations where comet fragments impacted the cloudtops, and another incoming comet fragment is seen as a bright spot against the nightside. The planet is against a black background speckled with stars. In the upper right corner of the image shines a small white blob representing its host star. A faint edge-on disk of dust extending from 10 o’clock to 4 o’clock on the star is also white. The words “Artist’s Concept” are at lower left.

Where is the dividing line between stars and the most massive planets? Scientists think it may depend on how they formed. (1/4) 🧵 🔭

A black square labeled “29 Cyg” at upper right. In the middle, a white star symbol is surrounded by a small blue trapezoid that widens from upper left to lower right of the star. The is star labeled with a capital A. The trapezoid indicates where the star’s light has been blocked by a coronagraph. To the star’s left beyond the blue trapezoid at 8 o’clock is a fuzzy white blob labeled with a lower-case b.

Weighing in at 15 times the mass of Jupiter, super-chonky 29 Cygni b is massive enough that it could be considered a brown dwarf. However, new data from #NASAWebb shows that it formed like a planet, not like a star: https://news.stsci.edu/4v59Ljj 🔭

Starry night sky background with text: "Sign up for INBOX ASTRONOMY. The latest news, images, and discoveries about the universe—right to your inbox!" Below is the Space Telescope Science Institute logo and name.

What do you get if you sign up for Inbox Astronomy? Spectacular images and astronomical discoveries! Sign up to get news from the universe—right in your inbox: https://bit.ly/3KSp8IY 🔭 🧪

Against the black background of space, many bright blue-white stars with four-pointed diffraction spikes fill the scene. The stars are more concentrated on the right side. A bright red-orange source of light, a foreground star, is located near the upper left corner.

Open to learning about this Hubble image of open star cluster NGC 2660? Located approximately 8,600 light-years away, clusters like NGC 2660 can contain tens to hundreds of stars loosely grouped by gravity. Credit: NASA, ESA.

A planetary nebula in a vast expanse of space. The central star is surrounded by white bubbles and loops of gas, all shining with a powerful blue light. Farther out, a broken ring of red and blue gas clouds surrounds the nebula. A multitude of golden and white stars, wisps of gas and distant galaxies of various sizes surround the nebula on the black background of space.

A closeup of a planetary nebula. A central blue star is surrounded by a series of overlapping, translucent bubbles of gas, which take up most of the frame. The bubbles have a complex, filamentary structure. The two largest bubbles overlap halfway, creating an eye-like shape with the star at the center. Jets of high-speed gas point out of the top and bottom of the nebula. Faint, concentric circles of gas also surround the star, out beyond the bubbles. The background of space is black.

The Cat’s Eye Nebula is the remnant of a dying star. Look for the red and blue ring of expanding gas that frames it. Then, examine a closeup from Hubble that shows the very core of the billowing gas, and a tapestry of concentric shells. Credit: ESA/Hubble/NASA/ESA Euclid.

OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a Software Development Project Manager to support the Data Management Division: https://bit.ly/4tCw3qW

OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a postdoctoral researcher to work on JWST investigations of AGN feedback, shock physics, and the response of the interstellar medium in both nearby and distant galaxies: https://bit.ly/4ekselL

A face-on spiral galaxy with four spiral arms that curve outward in a counterclockwise direction. The spiral arms are filled with young, blue stars and peppered with purplish star-forming regions that appear as small blobs. The middle of the galaxy is much brighter and more yellowish, and has a distinct narrow linear bar angled from 11 o’clock to 5 o’clock. Dozens of red background galaxies are scattered across the image. The background of space is black.

Hubble observed the farthest Cepheid variable star it’s ever seen in NGC 5468. These stars undergo predictable, cyclic changes in brightness, making them useful for measuring the universe’s expansion rate. (Image includes data from #NASAWebb): https://bit.ly/46UzQXU

Roman and Webb - NASA Science NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will conduct rapid surveys of wide swaths of the universe, unveiling new worlds and clues to mysteries like

#NASAWebb and #NASARoman will combine their unique capabilities to expand what we know about the universe. Learn how the observatories will reveal extraordinary new information. https://science.nasa.gov/roman-and-webb/

How Do We Communicate With Webb? - NASA Science NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is located nearly 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth. How is information sent to and received

Hello, the James Webb Space Telescope, like Artemis II, uses the Deep Space Network, the largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications system in the world.

Learn more about the DSN at the link below!

STScI Public Lecture Series The STScI Public Lectures Series held monthly presentations on all aspects of astronomy and space telescopes for several decades. Due to changes in funding, ...

🚨 Our fascinating Public Lecture Series is now on YouTube! We now have the 2017-2025 lectures available to watch.

A planetary nebula in a vast expanse of space. The central star is surrounded by white bubbles and loops of gas, all shining with a powerful blue light. Farther out, a broken ring of red and blue gas clouds surrounds the nebula. A multitude of golden and white stars, wisps of gas and distant galaxies of various sizes surround the nebula on the black background of space.

A closeup of a planetary nebula. A central blue star is surrounded by a series of overlapping, translucent bubbles of gas, which take up most of the frame. The bubbles have a complex, filamentary structure. The two largest bubbles overlap halfway, creating an eye-like shape with the star at the center. Jets of high-speed gas point out of the top and bottom of the nebula. Faint, concentric circles of gas also surround the star, out beyond the bubbles. The background of space is black.

The Cat’s Eye Nebula is the remnant of a dying star. Look for the red and blue ring of expanding gas that frames it. Then, examine a closeup from Hubble that shows the very core of the billowing gas, and a tapestry of concentric shells. Credit: ESA/Hubble/NASA/ESA Euclid.

And the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope! It's going to be a very popular area in space. 😎

Diagram of Lagrange points 1 and 2 and Webb’s position at Lagrange point 2 on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. The graphic is not to scale.

When the Orion spacecraft passes the far side of the moon today, the Artemis II crew will be 252,760 mi (406,778 km) from Earth. They will be only a quarter of the distance to Lagrange Point 2, where #NASAWebb observes the universe: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/orbit/ 🔭 🌕

James Webb Space Telescope Orbit - Animation #shorts YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute

The balance of the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and the Earth at the L2 point lets Webb stay in line with the Earth as it moves around the Sun, allowing its sunshield to always provide the telescope protection from the light and heat of the Sun and Earth (and Moon). 🧪 🌕

Diagram of Lagrange points 1 and 2 and Webb’s position at Lagrange point 2 on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. The graphic is not to scale.

When the Orion spacecraft passes the far side of the moon today, the Artemis II crew will be 252,760 mi (406,778 km) from Earth. They will be only a quarter of the distance to Lagrange Point 2, where #NASAWebb observes the universe: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/orbit/ 🔭 🌕

Annual Physics Fair | Physics & Astronomy JHU Physics Fair, happening on Saturday, April 25, 2026, will be a day of fun, interactive exhibits and activities that explore the fascinating world of physics at Bloomberg Center for Physics and Ast...

Join the Space Telescope Science Institute for hands-on science demonstrations at the annual Johns Hopkins University Physics Fair, happening on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Baltimore. 🔭 🧪

The Metal-Poor Frontier: Understanding Low-Metallicity Stars and Galaxies Across Cosmic Time

The STScI 2026 Spring Symposium aims to advance our understanding of the low-metallicity universe by bringing together researchers from May 11-15, 2026, to Baltimore, Maryland.

Registration closes on April 10.

The majority of the image shows the black background of space. Two large, very bright galaxies dominate the center. The elliptical galaxy at left is extremely bright at its circular core, with dimmer white light extending to its transparent circular edges. On the right is a bright spiral galaxy. It also has a bright white core but has red and light purple spiral arms that start at the center and turn clockwise going outward. They end in faint red and appear to overlap the elliptical galaxy at left. Throughout the scene there are a range of distant galaxies, the majority of which are very tiny and red, appearing as splotches.

“Hoo” can resist this combined Hubble and #NASAWebb view of interacting galaxies VV 191? 🦉 Appearing like a glowing pair of owl eyes, this duo enabled scientists to learn more about the properties of galactic dust within the spiral galaxy at right: https://bit.ly/47llCPS

OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a hands‑on Senior Database Engineer with deep expertise in PostgreSQL to help design, build, and maintain performant databases: https://bit.ly/3PODexE

OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a Human Resources Assistant to join our Benefits Team: https://bit.ly/4bX10is