What Is ESA/Webb (esawebb.org)?

Updated

ESA/Webb (esawebb.org) is the European Space Agency's official web page for the James Webb Space Telescope, described as "the space-based observatory that has revolutionised modern astronomy." It serves as a public-facing information hub for Webb mission news, imagery, and announcements, aimed at both the general public and the scientific community. If you want to follow Webb discoveries, browse official press releases, or find ESA's Webb-related outreach material, this is the site to use.

What the site publishes

The homepage is organized around several recurring content streams:

  • Press Releases — mission results and discoveries, each with a reference code (e.g., weic2619). Recent examples listed on the page include "Webb reveals stunning panorama of star formation" (15 Sept. 2026 — weic2619), "Webb reveals dust and water surviving in the extreme environment around the Milky Way's central black hole" (11 Aug. 2026 — weic2617), "Lion Nebula roars to life for Webb" (10 Aug. 2026 — weic2616), and "Webb uncovers unusual galaxy shaped by cosmic collision" (6 July 2026 — weic2615).
  • Picture of the Month — a monthly image feature, also coded (e.g., potm2609, "Galaxies in a cosmic house of mirrors," 29 Sept. 2026).
  • Announcements — organizational and community news, such as "2026 Royal Astronomical Society Awards recognise contributions to JWST" (23 July 2026 — ann2601) and the annual ESA Hubble and Webb Calendar announcements.
  • Space Sparks — a video series.
  • ESA/Hubble/Webb Science Newsletter — a periodic newsletter (the page references a December 2025 edition).
  • Webb's First Images Release: July, 2022 — a dedicated section for the first image release.

How to use it

The site is a browse-and-read resource rather than a tool you log into. To follow new content:

  1. Open esawebb.org and scan the Press Releases, Picture of the Month, and Announcements blocks on the homepage.
  2. Select "Read More" on any item to open the full release or image page.
  3. Use "Explore all Press Releases" to see the complete archive rather than just the latest few.
  4. Follow the linked social media accounts (the page includes a "Follow us on social media" section) for updates between releases.

Subscribing to updates

The site offers a newsletter signup. The page shows a "Subscribe to Webb News" link and a "Subscribe" option, which points to the ESA Hubble/Webb subscription page at esahubble.org/subscribe/. This is the route to receive Webb news by email rather than checking the site manually.

What it is not

ESA/Webb is an outreach and news page, not a data archive or proposal system. It publishes press releases, images, and announcements; it does not itself provide the raw scientific data or observation-planning tools that researchers use. Treat it as the official ESA entry point for Webb news and public information.