Fascinating sight: The James Webb Telescope with a new detailed image of an extremely unusual galaxy
Extremely unusual galaxy which, as its name suggests, resembles a wheel, was formed as a result of a strong collision between two smaller galaxies.
LIVE: NASA releases new photos from the James Webb Telescope
The team behind the James Webb Space Telescope presented the latest image – a portrait of the Wheel galaxy, a bright object located 500 million light-years from Earth, which was formed as a result of the collision of two galaxies.
Webb is on a roll! 🤸
This news @NASAWebb near and mid-infrared composite image highlights the Cartwheel Galaxy, the result of a high-speed collision that occurred about 440 million years ago, along with two neighboring galaxies. Get the details: https://t.co/c8lEVBBlub pic.twitter.com/eVe8m0k6N7
- NASA (@NASA) August 2
Webb has amazed us several times with pictures from space, and the latest shot with shades of pink, red-orange and blue is simply breathtaking. The Wheel Galaxy belongs to the category of lenticular galaxy and is located in the constellation Cyprus. NASA says that, unlike more common spiral galaxies, galaxies like this one are a very rare sight.
PHOTO: See the most detailed photos of the universe ever released by NASA
The collision that created the double ring structure is like "the circles that form in a pond after you throw a pebble into it," says NASA. The inner core consists of dust, while the brightest parts of the ring hide swarms of young stars. The outer ring has been expanding for 440 million years, causing stars to form as the outer ring slams into the gas orbiting everything.
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The Wheel Galaxy was first registered by the Hubble telescope, but Webb captured it in much greater detail thanks to infrared capabilities. The former captures wavelengths from 0,6 to 5 microns, which can be seen in the image in blue, orange and yellow, while the latter captures wavelengths from 5 to 28 microns and is responsible for the red color in the image.
First image from the Webb Space Telescope: We're seeing possibilities no one has seen before
The Webb Telescope has just begun to illuminate the secret parts of our universe, and in time it will even help us in our search for extraterrestrials. The journey, concludes “Gizmodo", it just started!
