In images from space like never before, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has given the world some of the most beautiful photos of intergalactic wonders in the 12 months since its launch.

NASA, in partnership with Canadian and European space agencies, launched the JWST on December 25 last year. Since then, the telescope has shown planets in a new light, uncovering new details about the cosmos and revealing a deeper understanding of existing galaxies.

Created to extend the discoveries of the famous Hubble Space Telescope, the JWST, with its massive mirror and special infrared light technology, has become a step forward in discoveries of the Universe and capturing distant galaxies not visible to the naked eye.

Here’s a look at some of the stunning footage captured since the launch of the JWST:

THE DEEPEST INFRARED IMAGE IN THE UNIVERSE

In its first published image, JWST provided the deepest infrared image of the distant Universe, capturing the cluster of galaxies known as SMACS 0723.

The low-field image was captured by the telescope’s NIRCam and mid-infrared (MIRI) instrument and shows the galaxy cluster as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago, according to NASA.

While the composite image only shows a small portion of the sky, the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length, JWST was still able to photograph thousands of distant galaxies, which appear as bright, multicolored dots that center around frolicking around the dark abyss of space.

Galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as captured by the James Webb Space Telescope in this image provided by NASA on Monday, July 11, 2022. (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI via AP)

THE FIRST DIRECT IMAGE OF AN EXOPLANET BY WEBB

Astronomers have captured the first direct image of an exoplanet using the JWST. Located outside our solar system, HIP 65426 was captured in four different infrared light filters, paving the way for more information about the gas giant planet.

The exoplanet was first observed in 2017 when astronomers spotted the planet through short wavelengths of infrared light. However, with the JWST, the image of HIP 65246b was able to capture the planet at longer wavelengths, fueling discoveries made by ground-based telescopes.

“There are many more images of exoplanets to come that will shape our overall understanding of their physics, chemistry and formation. We might even discover previously unknown planets,” Aarynn Carter, senior imaging researcher, said in a statement.

Exoplanet discovered by James Webb Space Telescope. (NASA)

THE PILLARS OF CREATION BREW CHILDREN STARS

In a cloud of cosmic dust and gas, newborn stars have been captured by the JWST in new images of the Pillars of Creation star-forming region in the Eagle Nebula.

Known for its three elongated, thin pillars, the pillars were originally photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 and later revisited in 2014 to provide the world with the clearest image of the pillars yet. Until the JWST comes.

The JWST has enabled astronomers to better observe the bright red stars forming in the nebula, believed to be hundreds of thousands of years old.

This combined image provided by NASA on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 shows the Pillars of Creation as viewed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 2014 (left) and NASA’s James Webb Telescope (right) presented. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI via AP)

NEW CLUES ABOUT JUPITER’S INSIDE

In a never-before-seen color display, the JWST was able to show Jupiter’s aurora stretching high above the planet’s north and south poles.

Bright auroras are shown in red in the new images, causing haze on Jupiter and highlighting light reflected from lower clouds. Amid the haze, the Great Red Spot, a massive storm big enough to engulf the Earth, appears brilliant white, according to NASA, likely due to the extremely high altitude.

Researchers were amazed to get a glimpse of Jupiter’s turbulent conditions, and the new images open up more possibilities to understand the planet’s dynamics and chemistry.

“This image summarizes the science of our Jupiter Systems program, which is studying the dynamics and chemistry of Jupiter itself, its rings and satellite system,” observational researcher Thierry Fouchet said in a statement.

This image provided by NASA shows a false color composite image of Jupiter acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope on July 27, 2022. (NASA via AP)