The James Webb Space Telescope has peered through time and huge amounts of dust to capture a new image of the Cartwheel Galaxy, revealing the spinning ring of color in unprecedented clarity, NASA and the European Space Agency said Tuesday.
Located around 500 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Sculptor, the Cartwheel gained its shape during a spectacular head-on collision between twoThe impact sent two rings expanding from the galaxy's center,"like ripples in a pond after a stone is tossed into it", NASA and the ESA said in a joint statement.
A smaller white ring remains closer to the galaxy's center, while the outer ring, with its spokes of color, has been expanding into the universe for around 440 million years, the statement added.The Hubble telescope had previously captured images of the rare ring galaxy, which is believed to have been aThis image from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument shows a group of galaxies, including a large distorted ring-shaped galaxy known as the Cartwheel.
But the Webb telescope, which launched in December 2021 and revealed its first images to global fanfare last month, has a far greater reach.allowed it to see through the"tremendous amount of hot dust" obscuring the view of the Cartwheel Galaxy, NASA and the ESA said.in the galaxy, as well as the behavior of the supermassive black hole at its heart, they said.
It was also able to detect regions rich in hydrocarbons and other chemicals, as well as dust that is similar to dust on Earth.The observations show that the Cartwheel Galaxy is still in"very transitory stage", the space agencies said. "While Webb gives us a snapshot of the current state of the Cartwheel, it also provides insight into what happened to this galaxy in the past and how it will evolve in the future."
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Webb space telescope has just imaged another most-distant galaxy, breaking its record after a weekThe new record happened by accident.
Lire la suite »
James Webb Space Telescope glimpses Earendel, the most distant star known in the universeThe star's discovery by the Hubble Space Telescope was only announced earlier this year.
Lire la suite »
Behold the Cartwheel Galaxy! NASA showcases another dazzling James Webb imageA new James Webb image shows the Cartwheel Galaxy in all its glory. NASA says the new image provides 'a peek into its past and future'.
Lire la suite »
Four revelations from the Webb telescope about distant galaxiesWebb's first pictures have shattered astronomers’ preconceptions about the early Universe.
Lire la suite »
James Webb telescope spots its first supernova in remarkable new photoThe James Webb may have detected its first supernova. The team behind the new telescope released a new series of images detailing the find.
Lire la suite »