On Friday, to mark the second anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope’s launch, NASA released a breathtaking new space image of two merging galaxies.
The telescope Release Taken on December 25, 2021, the satellite has revolutionized the field of astronomy with its stunning images that are helping researchers unlock some of the mysteries of the universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which orbits Earth, Webb orbits the Sun at a distance of about 100 meters. A million miles away From Earth.
The image released on Friday depicts two merging galaxies, collectively known as Arp 142, aptly named “The Penguin and the Egg.” The “Penguin” is a distorted, penguin-like spiral galaxy in the center, and the “Egg” is an elliptical galaxy on the left. The “Penguin” and the “Egg” are estimated to be about 100,000 light-years apart, which is surprisingly close in astronomical terms.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Arp 142 is located 326 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra. According to NASA, the two galaxies first interacted between 25 and 75 million years ago and will go through several more loops before merging into a single galaxy in a few hundred million years.
With a bit of background to look at, the Webb image is full of distant galaxies — some that appear as spirals or elliptical shapes, others scattered as shapeless dots — a testament to the superior sensitivity and resolution of the telescope’s infrared instruments.
Dubbed “The Time Machine,” Webb studies every stage of the universe’s history, from the first glow after the Big Bang to the evolution of our solar system.
“We’re starting to get new information and really understand how the first galaxies in the universe formed and evolved,” Mark Crumpen, head of the astrophysics division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, told CBS News.
Webb explained that unlike Hubble, the Webb telescope “can actually see inside these giant dust clouds and begin to study the process of star formation.”
This allows scientists to observe the evolution of these stars and study how planetary systems form around them.
“And then, of course, we want to understand the properties of exoplanets,” Krampin said, referring to planets outside our solar system, “and eventually start trying to find evidence of habitability.”
Webb Since then, it has continued to monitor for habitable planets. ExpandNASA reported that it currently knows of about 30 possible “small, rocky, Earth-like planets orbiting in the habitable zone.”
Webb’s extraordinary sensitivity will enable it to detect and characterize the atmospheres of some of the most promising potentially habitable planets orbiting cool stars, and identify molecules important for life, such as water vapor, methane and carbon dioxide.
“In just two years, Webb has transformed the way we see the universe and enabled the world-class science that drove NASA to make this mission a reality,” Crumpen said. “Webb is sending back inspiring images to people around the world, nudging us into a new era of research into distant worlds while raising exciting new questions to answer. It’s now possible to explore every aspect of the universe like never before.”
