Working with the James Webb Telescope (JWST) astronomers, published a spectacular new image. It shows the spiral galaxy NGC 2566.
NGC 2566 is located 76 million light-years away from Earth toward the constellation Puppis. Its relative proximity gives scientists the opportunity to view its fine details, such as star clusters and gas clouds. JWST photographed NGC 2566 as part of a project that aims to study the relationships between stars, gas and dust in nearby star-forming galaxies.
JWST observed NGC 2566 with its two key instruments, the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The combined image reveals well-defined spiral arms, a long junction running through the center, and a thin plume of gas, dust and stars.
In the mid-infrared wavelengths, MIRI saw warm interstellar dust, including complex soot molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. NIRCam’s near-infrared data gives a detailed view of the galaxy’s stars, even those deeply embedded in clouds of gas. The camera also managed to capture some of the light from hydrocarbon molecules.
To learn more about the star formation processes in NGC 2566, astronomers combined data from JWST with observations from other telescopes. Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) provides a detailed look at the cold, turbulent clouds in which stars are born.
The Hubble Space Telescope has also cast its gaze on NGC 2566. The Hubble data will help researchers take a census of the stars in nearby galaxies, especially the young stars that are bright at the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths to which Hubble is sensitive. By combining data from three telescopes, astronomers provide a rich view of the cold gas, warm dust and stars in NGC 2566.
Provided by Esawebb
