Webb celebrates two years with a spectacular view of galaxies

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows a pair of intertwining galaxies in infrared light, its latest release in a continuing stream of observations.

The The James Webb Space Telescope Operating around the clock, it often amazes researchers with its extremely detailed – and incredibly accurate – infrared images and data. These wavelengths of light, beyond what our eyes can see, were largely unreachable in this level of detail until Webb began making scientific observations on July 12, 2022, on behalf of astronomers around the world.

To celebrate the science’s second anniversary, the telescope observed Orb 142, an interacting pair of galaxies named Penguin and Egg. The main image combines near- and mid-infrared light, visually underscoring how the galaxies interact — look for a faint inverted blue U shape encompassing both galaxies — along with a “star party,” where recent star formation is abundant. , in Penguin.

A mid-infrared view of the interacting web of Orb 142 galaxies appears to sing in primary colors. The background of space is like a yawning darkness with bright, multicolored beads. The image was taken by MIRI, the telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument, which astronomers use to study cool and old material, dust and very distant galaxies. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

A vivid portrait of galaxies marking the second anniversary of the Webb Space Telescope

Two for two! The pair of galaxies commemorates the second science anniversary of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which takes constant observations, including images called spectra and more detailed data. Its activities led to a “parade” of discoveries by astronomers around the world.

“Ever since President Biden and Vice President Harris released the first image from the James Webb Space Telescope two years ago, Webb has continued to unlock the mysteries of the universe,” he said. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “With remarkable images from the corners of the universe, going back almost to the beginning of time, Webb’s capabilities are shedding new light on our celestial environment and inspiring future generations of scientists, astronomers and explorers.”

“In just two years, the WEB has transformed our view of the universe, enabling world-class science to make NASA a reality,” said Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. , while at the same time producing images that inspire and answer exciting new questions. It would never be possible to explore every aspect of the universe.”

This “penguin party” is loud! The degenerate spiral galaxy in the center, the Penguin, and the small elliptical galaxy, the Egg, on the left are locked in active embrace. A new near- and mid-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope, taken to mark its second year of science, shows their connection marked by a faint inverted U-shaped blue light.
The pair, collectively known as Orb 142, made their first pass between 25 and 75 million years ago — causing “fireworks,” or new star formation, in Penguin. In the most extreme cases, mergers can create thousands of new stars per year for a few million years in galaxies. For penguins, research shows that about 100 to 200 stars are formed per year. By comparison, our Milky Way galaxy (not interacting with galaxies of the same size) produces six to seven new stars per year.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Insightful Observations of Interstellar Interactions

Thanks to the telescope’s expertise in capturing infrared light – which is undetectable to our eyes – these galaxies, collectively known as Orb 142, are locked in a slow cosmic dance. Webb’s observations, which combine Webb’s near- and mid-infrared light NIRCam (near infrared camera) and MIRI (mid-infrared instrument) respectively, clearly showing that they are joined by a nebula represented in blue, a mixture of stars and gas.

Between 25 and 75 million years ago, when the penguin (listed separately as NGC 2936) and the egg (NGC 2937) completed their first pass, their successive interactions were set in motion. They will complete several additional spins, glowing and wobbly, before merging into a single galaxy hundreds of millions of years later.

Two penguins, two eggs – two different color schemes! The Hubble Space Telescope captured the visible light while observing Arp 142, nicknamed Penguin and Egg, in 2013. On the right is an infrared light view from the same area as the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Evolution of the penguin and the egg

Before their first approach, the penguin held a spiral shape. Today, its galactic center shines like an eye, and its uninjured arms now shape a beak, head, spine and fanned tail.

Like all spiral galaxies, Penguin is still rich in gas and dust. The “dance” of galaxies causes penguins to pull in thin layers of gas and dust, causing them to collide in waves and form stars. Look for those parts in two places: the “beak” that looks like a fish, and the “feathers” on its “tail.”

Surrounding these new stars is smoke-like material that contains carbon-containing molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an exception to the Web finding. Faint, deep orange arcs of dust drift from its beak to its tail feathers.

In contrast, the compact shape of the egg remains unchanged. As an elliptical galaxy, it is full of aging stars, and has very little gas and dust to pull in to form new stars. If both are spiral galaxies, each will complete the first “turn” with new star formation and swirling curls called tidal tails.

Another reason for the undisturbed appearance of the egg: these galaxies have roughly the same mass or height, so the smaller elliptical was not consumed or destroyed by the penguin.

This video takes a tour of Arp 142, an interacting galaxy pair affectionately known as the Penguin and the Egg, located 326 million light-years from Earth. The trip begins and ends with a new mid- and infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope. Hubble Space Telescope. The pair are separated by only 100,000 light-years – relatively close in astronomical terms. our milky way The galaxy and its nearest neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, are separated by about 2.5 million light-years. The tour sheds light on what has transpired since their connection. Also look for contrasting views of the spiral galaxy in the upper right, which “disappears” in Webb’s mid-infrared view. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI)

The wider context of interstellar communication

The penguin and the egg are estimated to be about 100,000 light-years apart – pretty close in astronomical terms. For context, the Milky Way and our nearest neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, are about 2.5 million light-years apart. They will also interact, but not for about 4 billion years. (See video below.)

This scientific visualization of a computer simulation depicts the inevitable collision between our Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy (also known as Messier 31). NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope observations indicate that the two galaxies, pulled together by their mutual gravity, will crash together in a head-on collision about 4 billion years from now.

Now, look to the top right to find a constellation that isn’t in this party. This edge-on galaxy, cataloged PGC 1237172, is 100 million light-years closer to Earth. It is very young, full of new, blue stars.

Want another party trick? Switch to Webb’s mid-infrared-only image (second image on this page) to see PGC 1237172 practically hidden. Mid-infrared light mostly captures cool, old stars and incredible amounts of dust. Because the galaxy’s stellar population is so young, it “disappears” in mid-infrared light.

Take a moment to scan the background. Webb’s image is overflowing with distant galaxies. Some take spiral and oval shapes like those threaded throughout the penguin’s “tail feathers,” while others are shapeless dots scattered throughout. This is a testament to the sensitivity and resolution of the telescope’s infrared instruments. (Compare Webb’s view with a 2018 observation that combined infrared light from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope with infrared and visible light from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.) Although these observations only took a few hours, Webb found more distant, redder, and dustier galaxies than previous telescopes—in the universe. Another reason to expect that Webb will continue to expand our understanding of everything that exists.

This visualization explores the three-dimensional structure of Arp 142, a pair of interacting galaxies called the Penguin and the Egg, seen in infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Orb 142 is located 326 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science laboratory. Webb solves the mysteries of our solar system, looks beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and explores the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. WEB is an international project led by NASA’s partners, ESA.European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).