A New Era for Supernova Science with the James Webb Space Telescope
arXiv:2610.12100 · doi:10.1140/epjp/s13360-026-08293-1
Abstract
Supernovae (SNe) are excellent probes of the physical, chemical, and cosmological context of galaxies across the history of the Universe. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST ) has a truly unique combination of wavelength, sensitivity, and resolution, providing a new window into SN physics, progenitors, dust production, redshift evolving stellar populations, and cosmology since its launch. Here we summarize the astounding observations JWST has made of SNe in its first few years of operations, as well as the corresponding advancements in our understanding of the Universe. This includes detailed views of nearby SNe, the first spectroscopic samples of high-z SNe, and a significant number of gravitationally lensed SNe valuable for both cosmological inference and high signal-to-noise (S/N) spectroscopy. While the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to revolutionize space-based time-domain astronomy, JWST and its unique capabilities will continue to play a complementary role by providing high-precision spectroscopic and photometric data for a broad range of SN science cases.
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