Images selected by Nature’s visuals team, text by Emma Stoye, Nisha Gaind, Katharine Sanderson and Carissa Wong

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope continued to dazzle in 2023, with some of the most spectacular images of space ever seen. Closer to home, photographers and researchers captured unknown species and hidden microscopic scenes. From cosmic dust to flying geckos, here are the images that caught the eyes of Nature’s editors.