The James Webb Space Telescope zeroes in on one of the weirdest galaxies in the universe

William DupuyAugust 3, 2022


The James Webb Space Telescope continues to produce images of some of the most unusual features of deep space.

This week, NASA and its partners released new images of what it called a “rare” feature: the rings and spokes of the Cartwheel galaxy, some 500 million light-years from Earth in the Constellation of the Sculptor.

“Its appearance, much like that of a wagon wheel, is the result of an intense event – a high-speed collision between a large spiral galaxy and a smaller galaxy not visible in this image,” said the NASA in a press release. “Collisions of galactic proportions cause a cascade of different and smaller events between the galaxies involved; the cartwheel is no exception.

Space agencies have released several images, including this composite of its near-infrared camera (NIRCam) and mid-infrared instrument (MIRI):

cartwheel galaxy

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team

“The cartwheel is made up of two rings, a bright inner ring and a colorful outer ring,” the Space Telescope Science Institute, which manages the telescope’s science and mission operations, said in a press release. “The two rings extend outward from the center of the collision like shock waves.”

These ring galaxies, as they are called, are much less common than spiral galaxies, like our own Milky Way.

NASA said the bright core contains hot dust and “gigantic young star clusters”, while the outer ring – which has been stretching for 440 million years – features new forming stars and supernovas.

“What shape the Cartwheel galaxy will ultimately take, given these two competing forces, remains a mystery,” said the Space Telescope Science Institute. “However, this snapshot gives perspective on what has happened to the galaxy in the past and what it will do in the future.”

Here is the image from the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI):

This image from Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) shows a group of galaxies, including a large, distorted ring-shaped galaxy known as the Cartwheel. The Cartwheel galaxy, located 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor, is made up of a bright inner ring and an active outer ring. While this outer ring has a lot of star formation, the dusty area in between reveals many stars and star clusters. Mid-infrared light captured by MIRI reveals fine detail about these dusty regions and young stars in the Cartwheel galaxy, which are rich in hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds, as well as silicate dust, like much of the dust on Earth. Young stars, many of which are present in the lower right of the outer ring, energize the surrounding hydrocarbon dust, causing it to glow orange. On the other hand, the clearly defined dust between the core and the outer ring, which forms the rays that inspire the galaxy's name, is mostly silicate dust. The smaller spiral galaxy in the top left of Cartwheel exhibits much of the same behavior, showing a large amount of star formation.
This image from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) shows a group of galaxies, including a large, distorted ring-shaped galaxy known as the Cartwheel. The Cartwheel galaxy, located 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor, is made up of a bright inner ring and an active outer ring. While this outer ring has a lot of star formation, the dusty area in between reveals many stars and star clusters. Mid-infrared light captured by MIRI reveals fine detail about these dusty regions and young stars in the Cartwheel galaxy, which are rich in hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds, as well as silicate dust, like much of the dust on Earth. Young stars, many of which are present in the lower right of the outer ring, energize the surrounding hydrocarbon dust, causing it to glow orange. On the other hand, the clearly defined dust between the core and the outer ring, which forms the rays that inspire the galaxy’s name, is mostly silicate dust. The smaller spiral galaxy in the top left of Cartwheel exhibits much of the same behavior, showing a large amount of star formation.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team

“Young stars, many of which are present in the lower right of the outer ring, energize the surrounding hydrocarbon dust, causing it to glow orange,” the Space Telescope Science Institute said in a press release. “On the other hand, the clearly defined dust between the core and the outer ring, which forms the ‘rays’ that inspire the galaxy’s name, is mostly silicate dust.”

For comparison, here’s a Hubble image of the galaxy taken in 1996:

Located 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor, the galaxy resembles a wagon wheel. The galaxy's core is the bright object in the center of the image; spoke-like structures are wisps of material connecting the core to the outer ring of young stars. The galaxy's unusual configuration was created by a near-head-on collision with a smaller galaxy about 200 million years ago.
Located 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor, the galaxy resembles a wagon wheel. The galaxy’s core is the bright object in the center of the image; spoke-like structures are wisps of material connecting the core to the outer ring of young stars. The galaxy’s unusual configuration was created by a near-head-on collision with a smaller galaxy about 200 million years ago.

via Curt Struck and Philip Appleton (Iowa State University), Kirk Borne (Hughes STX Corporation) and Ray Lucas (Space Telescope Science Institute) and NASA/ESA



The Huffington Gt

Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor.
William DupuyAugust 3, 2022
Back to top button