Scientists working with the James Webb Telescope (JWST) have published a new detailed image. It shows the complex structure of the spiral arms of the galaxy NGC 2090.
NGC 2090 is a longtime acquaintance of astronomers. It was part of a group of five galaxies studied by the Hubble Space Telescope back in its early days. It tracked the variable stars (Cepheids) within them in order to refine the value of the Hubble constant. According to a 1998 study, NGC 2090 was 37 million light-years away from Earth. According to the latest measurement, this distance is slightly greater and is 40 million light years.
Astronomers have repeatedly made observations of NGC 2090 in visible light. They showed that it was quite active in forming new stars. At the same time, its disk is heavily dusted — and dust clouds hide much of its spiral structure.
Thanks to JWST, it was finally possible to penetrate the dust veil. Observations made by the NIRCam (near-infrared camera) and the MIRI (mid-infrared instrument) have seen the spiral arms with surprising clarity. NIRCam also captured the light of the brightest stars, best seen in the center (blue).
At the same time, MIRI captured radiation emitted mainly by organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They are located along numerous gas and dust filaments, and are shown in red. This material plays an important role in the interstellar medium and the formation of stars and planets, but its origin remains a mystery.
Earlier we reported on how James Webb photographed the famous Sombrero Galaxy.
Provided by esawebb.org
