Sasha Hinkley

The James Webb Space Telescope and the search for life in the universe

Illustration: John Broadley 
issue 25 March 2023

The James Webb space telescope, the most powerful telescope ever built, has gathered some extraordinary images since it was launched by Nasa just over a year ago. There have been shots of stars on the cusp of death, of stars violently colliding together, and even of ancient galaxies that have challenged our very understanding of the cosmos.

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