NASA marks the anniversary of the Webb telescope with a close-up of a star birth

Jets of red gas erupting into the sky, and a blazing cave of dust: NASA celebrated the James Webb Space Telescope’s first year of discovery on Wednesday with a breathtaking new image of Sun-like stars forming.

The image is of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star nursery to Earth at 390 light-years, allowing for a close-up by the most powerful orbital observatory yet built.

“In just one year, the James Webb Space Telescope has transformed humanity’s view of the cosmos, peering into dust clouds and seeing light from faraway corners of the universe for the very first time,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.