Where to Find Webb's First Images and ESA/Webb on Social Media

Updated

ESA/Webb (esawebb.org) is the European Space Agency's official site for the James Webb Space Telescope. It hosts a dedicated Webb's First Images Release: July, 2022 entry, a "Follow us on social media" section, and full archives of press releases, Pictures of the Month, and announcements. Use the site if you want the agency's own releases and imagery rather than third-party coverage.

Finding Webb's first images

The site keeps a permanent entry for the first image release:

  • Webb's First Images Release: July, 2022 — dated 12 July 2022, listed alongside the Space Sparks video series and the science newsletter.

This is the place to start if you want the original first-images material as ESA/Webb presents it, rather than a later retrospective.

Browsing news, images, and announcements

The homepage surfaces several distinct streams, each with its own archive:

Section What it contains Example entries
Press Releases Science results and mission news, with release IDs "Webb reveals stunning panorama of star formation" (15 Sept. 2026 — weic2619); "Webb uncovers unusual galaxy shaped by cosmic collision" (6 July 2026 — weic2615)
Picture of the Month A featured image each month "Galaxies in a cosmic house of mirrors" (29 Sept. 2026 — potm2609); "Webb opens a Treasure Chest filled with stars" (6 Aug. 2026 — potm2607)
Announcements Awards, calendars, and job calls "2026 Royal Astronomical Society Awards recognise contributions to JWST" (23 July 2026 — ann2601); "Call for ESA/Hubble & ESA/Webb Science Writer" (1 Aug. 2024 — ann2402)

Each stream has an "Explore all" or "Read More" link, so you can move from the homepage highlights into the complete archive.

Social media and other channels

The site includes a "Follow us on social media" section, and the page footer lists ESA/Webb Facebook as a named channel. It also links to:

  • Space Sparks — a video series
  • ESA/Hubble/Webb Science Newsletter — the most recent issue shown is December 2025
  • Subscribe to Webb News — the subscription link points to esahubble.org/subscribe/

If you want updates pushed to you rather than checking the site, the newsletter and the Webb News subscription are the two routes the page offers.

What to expect from the content

ESA/Webb publishes agency-side material: press releases tied to specific observations, a monthly featured image, and administrative announcements. It is not a general astronomy explainer site — the value is in primary releases, official imagery, and dated records you can cite or follow over time.