Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
'Twas the night before Webb's launch.
Four years ago.
We waited excitedly,
To see what it would show.
Now it's four years later,
And Webb's science is stunning.
Hear a story from John Mather,
Who got the telescope up and running.
'Twas the night before Webb's launch.
Four years ago.
We waited excitedly,
To see what it would show.
Now it's four years later,
And Webb's science is stunning.
Hear a story from John Mather,
Who got the telescope up and running.

![#UnfoldTheUniverse With NASAs James Webb Space Telescope, Part 5
Ahead of our launch, we asked you to show us what you believe the James Webb Space Telescope will reveal through art. Here are just some of submissions we received for our #UnfoldTheUniverse art challenge! Special thanks to all of our participants.
Thanks to intern Kate Jolly for this video!
Artists featured in this video:
Carlos Moreno Tent
Claire Lamman
Akerra Nicholson
Shriya Katta
Claire Lamman
Amber Owen and The Montessori Schoolhouse in Springfield, IL students.
Amy Rae Hill
Stefan Vogels Stefan Vogels (Studio DIES)
Erin Barry-Dutro
Marc Gottlieb
Paolo Bettini
Roly Rolerson
Pawani Rajapaksha
S . Shanmathi
Reyansh Sunwar
Juee Naik
NASA GSFC/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez
Navneet Nair
Carlos Galeano
Cat
Kati Falcon
Anusha Ivaturi
Violetta Moonlight
Aahan Singh
Daniela Fino
Priyanka Singh
Molly Chakraborty
Poem by Phooi Jing
Poem read by Kate Jolly
Trillions of stars beaming far,
The universe breathes pristine air ,
Nebulae shields the heavens breath,
To thousands light years away where secrets stay.
The Big Bang nurtures the first gallon of fluid,
Turns it into series of beauty,
The goddess of beauty we live in,
Maps of dark matter and energy awaiting to be seen.
Old man Hubble has the the glory,
Charted on the milestone gleaming,
The successor Webb has now ready,
To be the heir of this obligated journey.
Stars, planets, humans, ants,
We all are made of the same universe grains,
The symbol of evolution James Webb,
We ride to explore another blue light,
In the name of revolution that births a fruit bright,
We venture into stardust on another flight.
More details: https://go.nasa.gov/unfoldtheuniverse
(Note: our campaign has been extended!)
Our gallery of submissions: https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/features/jwstArt/unfoldTheUniverse.html
Music Credits: Universal Production Music. Scaling Mountains, Christopher Lewis [ PRS ] and Daniel Marantz [ PRS ], Sound Pocket Music [ PRS ]
Credits: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center
Kate Jolly, Lead Producer and Editor #UnfoldTheUniverse With NASAs James Webb Space Telescope, Part 5](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aPOqGpZVoXE/mqdefault.jpg)





![Far and Wide, Part 4: Teamwork
The James Webb and Nancy Grace Roman space telescopes are NASA’s latest flagship astrophysics observatories. One is in space already and the other will join it there soon. These two telescopes look very different, have different objectives, and together will advance our understanding of the universe. This four-part video series explores the differences and synergies of Roman and Webb.
Despite different observational strategies, both telescopes will be stationed in space at the Legrange Point 2, a relatively stable region a million miles away from Earth. From there, both will have an almost unobstructed view of the whole sky and low temperatures to keep their instruments cool.
Roman’s broad and enduring view will mesh perfectly with Webb’s focused gaze. As Roman discovers new wonders throughout the cosmos, Webb can follow up with detailed observations to help astronomers understand them better.
Music: “Light Trails,” Max Cameron Concors [ASCAP], Universal Production Music
Download here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14891
Music: “Light Trails,” Max Cameron Concors [ASCAP], Universal Production Music
“Relentless Data,” Jay Price [PRS], Universal Production Music
Credits: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center.
Producer: Scott Wiessinger (eMITS)
Narrator: Barb Mattson (University of Maryland College Park)
Science advisors: Dominic Benford (NASA/HQ), Rob Zellem (NASA/GSFC)
Writer: Scott Wiessinger (eMITS)
Science writers: Ashley Balzer (eMITS), Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park), Public affairs officer, Claire Andreoli (NASA/GSFC)
Animators: Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (eMITS), Scott Wiessinger (eMITS), Krystofer Kim (eMITS), Jenny McElligott (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.), Jonathan North (eMITS) Far and Wide, Part 4: Teamwork](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c9azB1EJreE/mqdefault.jpg)
![Experience the closest thing to standing next to the actual JWST
Joining other historic NASA missions like Apollo, Voyager, and the Discovery Space Shuttle, Webb’s Optical Telescope Element Pathfinder has made its way to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian museum for permanent display.
The Pathfinder is the largest intact mirror support structure of its kind, comprised of exotic lightweight materials invented for the purpose of seeing near to the very limits of the observable universe.
This unique piece of hardware served a critical role in ensuring mission success by enabling engineers to build a comprehensive testing program to validate and ensure the most complicated optical system ever built would work flawlessly after launch.
For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/webb
Credit:
Producer / Writer: Thaddeus Cesari
Editor: Paul Morris
Images: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSci
Special Thanks to the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum
Music Credit:
“History in Motion” by Fred Dubois [SACEM], Koka Media [SACEM], Universal Publishing Production Music France [SACEM], and Universal Production Music.
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14984. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual Experience the closest thing to standing next to the actual JWST](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cApcIJPe0tc/mqdefault.jpg)

