Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have reported a series of groundbreaking findings in 2025. Among these is the possible first direct image discovery of a planet with a mass similar to Saturn orbiting the nearby young star TWA 7. If confirmed, this would be the lightest planet ever seen with this technique. Another team has found compelling evidence for a long-sought supermassive black hole at the heart of the spiral galaxy Messier 83 (M83), using Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument to detect highly ionized neon gas indicative of an active galactic nucleus. Additional Webb observations have delivered the most detailed image yet of planetary nebula NGC 1514, revealing its “fuzzy” dusty rings and other structural intricacies. Other recent highlights include the identification of two massive stars in Wolf-Rayet 140 that periodically create expanding shells of carbon-rich dust, contributing to the galactic life cycle[1].
In exoplanet research, an international collaboration recently discovered a super-Earth, HD 20794 d, orbiting in an eccentric path that sometimes brings it into its star’s habitable zone. Detected after 20 years of observations and detailed data analysis, this planet represents an important step in the ongoing search for life beyond our solar system. The exoplanet’s characteristics and proximity to its star make it a compelling target for forthcoming instruments like the ANDES spectrograph on ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope. Its potential habitability is now a subject of active interdisciplinary investigation[2].
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope also confirmed the existence of a “Super-Venus” exoplanet with an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide but lacking significant hydrogen or water, challenging expectations of planetary composition outside our solar system. In another development, Hubble Space Telescope researchers captured a rare spiral-shaped quasar image, raising new questions about quasar formation processes. Meanwhile, a novel theory about Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, suggests its formation resulted from a “kiss and capture” event, possibly offering insight into how planetary systems evolve. New research has found that the carbon atoms making up planets—and ultimately living things—likely spent time outside the Milky Way before settling here. Finally, astronomers report that the universe’s rate of expansion, measured by the Hubble constant, is faster than predicted by prevailing models, intensifying the so-called “Hubble tension” debate[4].