How to Carve a James Webb Space Telescope Pumpkin for a Very NASA Halloween

By Samantha Mathewson
published

The James Webb Web level 3 pumpkin-carving template features the James Webb Space Telescope's giant golden mirror, which consists of 18 individual hexagons. Half of the pattern incorporates a spider web overlay, making it the most difficult of the carving templates.
The James Webb Web level 3 pumpkin-carving template features the James Webb Space Telescope's giant golden mirror, which consists of 18 individual hexagons. Half of the pattern incorporates a spider web overlay, making it the most difficult of the carving templates. (Image credit: Leah Hustak)

NASA has shared a trio of templates so you can carve your very own James Webb Space Telescope-themed pumpkin this Halloween. 

Each template includes carving instructions and a difficulty rating to match your jack-o'-lantern expertise. The level 1 template features a pattern for carving a profile view of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), while the level 2 template includes a pattern for carving the telescope's giant golden mirror, which consists of 18 individual hexagons. 

Related: Ghouls and Gourds! Awesome Photos from NASA JPL's 2018 Pumpkin-Carving Contest

More Astropumpkins: Space Halloween Pumpkins a Cosmic Treat (Photos)

The level 3 template, which is rated as the most difficult, is called the James Webb Web and includes a pattern for the golden mirror with a spider web overlay. 

You can download the carving templates online and send photos of your carved pumpkins to jwst@lists.nasa.gov, or tag @NASAWebb on Twitter or Instagram to share your final product. (Send them to us as well at community@space.com.) 

A simpler carving design focuses on the James Webb Space Telescope's giant golden mirror of hexagons. (Image credit: Peter Sooy)

Every year, scientists and engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, also celebrate Halloween with a pumpkin-carving contest. Participants use various elements and props to create elaborate displays. NASA shared a fun guide with a few tips and tricks that JPL engineers use to carve their pumpkins. 

You can also celebrate Halloween this year with a space-themed costume. In 2018, Ethan Siegel, a theoretical astrophysicist and science author, created a wearable version of the JWST. NASA also shared a few other JWST-themed costumes from previous Halloweens and tutorials for making your own.  

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Samantha Mathewson
Samantha Mathewson
Contributing Writer

Samantha Mathewson joined Space.com as an intern in the summer of 2016. She received a B.A. in Journalism and Environmental Science at the University of New Haven, in Connecticut. Previously, her work has been published in Nature World News. When not writing or reading about science, Samantha enjoys traveling to new places and taking photos! You can follow her on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13.