Top 10 Galaxies Captured by the James Webb Space Telescope

#1: Cartwheel Galaxy (489 million light-years away)

The Cartwheel Galaxy, resembling a cosmic Ferris wheel mid-spin, is one of JWST’s most breathtaking subjects. Located roughly 489 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor, this peculiar galaxy is the result of a high-speed collision between a smaller galaxy and a larger spiral one. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the larger galaxy, triggering intense star formation in a ring-like structure. JWST’s infrared imagery pierced the dusty lanes within the inner ring, revealing newborn stars and hidden stellar nurseries. Measuring approximately 150,000 light-years across—about 50% wider than our Milky Way—the Cartwheel shows how dramatic galactic collisions can reshape entire systems. Interestingly, earlier telescopes like Hubble had struggled to peer into the obscured core of the galaxy. JWST, however, cut through the haze to uncover the underlying mechanics of this chaotic beauty. Astronomers believe the Cartwheel is currently in a transitory state, and with JWST’s continuing surveillance, we may be watching a spiral galaxy slowly reform before our eyes. The detail in JWST’s image even allows scientists to map how the starburst ring is expanding outward, much like a ripple in a pond—but on a scale that spans hundreds of thousands of light-years.

#2: Stephan’s Quintet (290 million light-years away)

One of the most iconic galaxy groups ever captured, Stephan’s Quintet became a centerpiece of JWST’s debut imagery. Located around 290 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus, this group of five galaxies—four of which are physically interacting—offers a rare glimpse into galactic evolution in real-time. While it was first discovered in 1877, JWST’s perspective added an entirely new layer of insight. The image reveals shockwaves from one galaxy slamming through another at over 1.24 million mph, creating a dramatic display of turbulence and stellar birth. This dynamic environment, resembling a cosmic ballet, showcases the immense gravitational pull galaxies exert on one another. JWST’s infrared sensors uncovered a previously hidden web of star-forming regions and wisps of hot gas bridging the galaxies. Interestingly, one of the five galaxies is actually a foreground object, sitting about 40 million light-years from Earth—just a cosmic photobomber. The remaining four are bound together in a gravitational waltz that could eventually lead to a massive merger. It’s almost like watching a slow-motion car crash that unfolds over hundreds of millions of years.

#3: NGC 1365 (56 million light-years away)

Often called the “Great Barred Spiral Galaxy,” NGC 1365 is a vast, stunning spiral located 56 million light-years away in the constellation Fornax. Stretching about 200,000 light-years across, it’s nearly double the size of our Milky Way. What sets it apart is its prominent central bar structure, which acts as a stellar conveyor belt, funneling gas and dust into the galactic core where a supermassive black hole lies in wait. JWST’s imaging provided new insights into how this process may fuel active galactic nuclei. This galaxy has long fascinated astronomers due to its rapid rotation—its outer arms complete a full turn in about 350 million years. With JWST’s incredible sensitivity to dust and gas, astronomers have been able to chart the path of raw materials feeding both star formation and black hole activity. Hidden within the spiral arms are rich pockets of young, massive stars lighting up the galaxy like fireworks. There’s even a fascinating historical footnote: NGC 1365 was once a primary target of radio astronomers in the mid-20th century due to its bright core, long before we understood just how complex it was.

#4: NGC 2623 (253 million light-years away)

NGC 2623 is a dramatic example of a galactic merger caught in its final act. About 253 million light-years from Earth, this luminous infrared galaxy sits in the constellation Cancer. It’s the chaotic outcome of two spiral galaxies colliding, and JWST’s deep imaging allows us to witness this cosmic transformation in stunning detail. Tidal tails—long streamers of stars and gas—stretch outward for over 100,000 light-years, while intense starburst activity rages at the center. The galaxy glows brightly in the infrared, where dust-enshrouded stellar nurseries burst into life. JWST’s instruments have uncovered multiple super star clusters forming in these turbulent regions, providing a front-row seat to the kind of star formation that might have been common in the early universe. Interestingly, NGC 2623’s structure resembles what scientists believe our Milky Way will look like several billion years from now when it collides with the Andromeda Galaxy. This makes NGC 2623 not just a snapshot of the past but a preview of our galactic future.

#5: IC 5332 (30 million light-years away)

IC 5332 is a nearly perfect face-on spiral galaxy located roughly 30 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. Spanning about 66,000 light-years, it’s slightly smaller than the Milky Way but no less impressive. JWST’s image of IC 5332 stunned astronomers due to its symmetry and clarity. The telescope’s infrared capabilities pierced through layers of interstellar dust, unveiling a complex web of filamentary structures and well-defined spiral arms teeming with star-forming regions. The symmetry and detail are so precise that scientists use this galaxy as a reference for modeling ideal spiral formation. What’s particularly intriguing is the absence of a prominent central bar, which is common in many spirals. This makes IC 5332 something of a purist’s galaxy—undisturbed, graceful, and largely isolated. Prior images from other telescopes hinted at its beauty, but JWST’s resolution brought out a wealth of features never seen before. It’s like comparing a pencil sketch to a high-definition photograph.

#6: M74 – The Phantom Galaxy (32 million light-years away)

Known as the Phantom Galaxy, M74 lies about 32 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pisces and spans roughly 95,000 light-years across. This nearly perfect grand-design spiral galaxy earned its nickname due to its faint surface brightness when viewed through ground-based telescopes. But JWST, with its keen infrared eye, illuminated the Phantom Galaxy like never before, exposing layers of dust-veiled star-forming regions and intricate arm structures. One of the most striking revelations was the network of reddish-orange dust lanes traced through the spiral arms, indicating areas where stars are being born. JWST’s image complements earlier optical observations, such as those from Hubble, by revealing what lies beneath the visual wavelengths—namely the dense cocoons of gas that serve as stellar nurseries. What makes M74 especially fascinating is its textbook spiral geometry; its arms wrap smoothly around the galactic core, making it a favorite model for theoretical simulations of galactic dynamics. The galaxy also hosts numerous supernova remnants, including SN 2003gd, a Type II supernova whose progenitor star was identified before it exploded—a rare feat in astronomy. The Phantom Galaxy’s tranquil beauty belies its energetic interior, a duality that JWST captured with poetic precision.

#7: CEERS-2112 (over 11 billion light-years away)

CEERS-2112 is one of the most distant galaxies ever imaged in detail by JWST, located over 11 billion light-years away in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major. Part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS), this galaxy is especially significant because it’s a barred spiral—a type of structure once believed to be rare or nonexistent in the early universe. The presence of a central bar so early in cosmic history challenges existing models of galaxy evolution. Until JWST’s observation, astronomers assumed barred spirals took billions of years to form due to the dynamic settling processes required. CEERS-2112, however, formed when the universe was less than 3 billion years old. That discovery suggests galaxies may evolve more rapidly and chaotically than previously thought. Despite its incredible distance, JWST’s image reveals surprisingly well-defined spiral arms and an elongated core, proving the telescope’s ability to resolve fine structure across cosmic time. This galaxy not only pushes the boundaries of our technical capabilities but also forces a reevaluation of when and how complex galactic features emerge.

#8: NGC 7496 (24 million light-years away)

Located approximately 24 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Grus, NGC 7496 is a barred spiral galaxy spanning about 60,000 light-years. It has become a poster child for understanding how galaxies feed their central black holes. With JWST’s infrared instruments, astronomers observed swirling lanes of dust and gas funneled inward by the bar, leading directly to the active galactic nucleus at its core. This process likely triggers both star formation and black hole accretion in tandem. What’s particularly fascinating is how JWST detected previously hidden super star clusters buried in the thick dust clouds of the inner arms—clusters that were invisible in Hubble’s optical view. NGC 7496 is also part of a galaxy survey known as PHANGS (Physics at High Angular Resolution in Nearby GalaxieS), which uses a variety of space and ground-based observatories. Thanks to JWST’s contributions, researchers are now studying these galaxies across the full electromagnetic spectrum, painting a multi-layered picture of how galaxies grow and evolve. NGC 7496 demonstrates that even “ordinary” nearby galaxies can hold extraordinary secrets when viewed through the right lens.

#9: GLASS-z13 (33.6 billion light-years light-travel distance)

GLASS-z13 is among the oldest and most distant galaxies ever identified, with light that began its journey less than 400 million years after the Big Bang. It has a light-travel distance of 13.5 billion years, but due to cosmic expansion, it now lies about 33.6 billion light-years away. Captured during the Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space (GLASS), this tiny but mighty galaxy appears as a faint, reddish speck in JWST’s deep-field view, yet its discovery shook the foundations of early-universe cosmology. Based on its redshift, astronomers believe GLASS-z13 may have formed even earlier than some theoretical models predicted galaxies could exist. Despite its diminutive size—likely no more than a few thousand light-years across—it appears to be forming stars at a furious rate. Some theorists even speculate it might be one of the seed galaxies that gave rise to larger structures seen today. The ability to detect such a distant object speaks volumes about JWST’s power and hints at an even richer, more complex early universe than previously imagined. GLASS-z13 might not be much to look at, but it’s a time capsule from a nearly incomprehensible epoch.

#10: NGC 1433 (32 million light-years away)

NGC 1433 is a nearby barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Horologium, located approximately 32 million light-years from Earth and measuring about 50,000 light-years across. Though it might seem modest in size, it hosts a surprisingly active core powered by a low-luminosity AGN (active galactic nucleus). What JWST revealed is a spectacular blend of galactic order and nuclear chaos. Its well-defined spiral arms guide gas and dust into the central regions, where the feeding frenzy begins. In JWST’s mid-infrared view, a network of dusty lanes spirals into the nucleus like water down a drain. This structure is not just visually striking—it’s an astrophysical laboratory. Scientists believe NGC 1433 may be a “missing link” in understanding how galaxies transition between being quiescent and active. In previous studies, the dusty core had been largely opaque, but JWST’s instruments cut through the murk to reveal glowing knots of star formation just a few hundred light-years from the central black hole. As one of the best-resolved cases of nuclear starburst and AGN activity happening side by side, NGC 1433 showcases the intimate connection between galaxy evolution and black hole growth in glorious detail.