Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

James Webb Space Telescope over Earth

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 26, 2021 is “James Webb Space Telescope over Earth,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: Arianespace , ESA , NASA , CSA , CNES. The original explanation runs about 144 words.

The featured image shows the James Web Space Telescope as it appeared just after release by the upper stage of an Arianespace rocket launched from French Guiana yesterday, December 25 Please see the explanation for more detailed information
Credit: Image Credit: Arianespace , ESA , NASA , CSA , CNES Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“There’s a big new telescope in space. This one, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), not only has a mirror over five times larger than Hubble ‘s in area, but can see better in infrared light.”

— APOD editors, December 26, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 26, 2021
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: Arianespace , ESA , NASA , CSA , CNES
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 144 words

All of December 2021 → · 2021 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The SunGalaxiesHubble Space TelescopeJames Webb Space Telescope

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 26 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.