Stunning image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captures galaxies merging in cosmic collision

On Friday, to mark the second anniversary of operations of the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA launched a wide ranging new cosmic image of two galaxies merging collectively. 

The telescope, which launched on Dec. 25, 2021, has remodeled the sphere of astronomy with beautiful pictures which might be serving to researchers uncover among the mysteries of the universe.

The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaborative effort between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which orbits across the Earth, Webb orbits the solar at a distance of about 1 million miles away from Earth. 

The image launched Friday depicts two merging galaxies, collectively often known as Arp 142, and fittingly nicknamed “the Penguin and the Egg.” The “Penguin” is the distorted spiral galaxy that resembles a penguin in the center, whereas the “Egg” is the elliptical galaxy on the left. It is estimated that the “Penguin” and the “Egg” are about 100,000 mild years aside, a surprisingly shut distance in astronomical phrases. 

Arp 142 lies 326 million mild years from Earth in the constellation Hydra. NASA says the 2 galaxies first interacted between 25 and 75 million years in the past and can full a number of extra loops earlier than merging right into a single galaxy hundred of tens of millions of years from now. 

If you are taking a second to scan the background, Webb’s image is crammed with distant galaxies. Some seem in spiral and oval shapes, whereas others are scattered as shapeless dots. This is a testomony to the spectacular sensitivity and determination of the telescope’s infrared devices. 

Webb, sometimes called a “time machine,” research each section of the universe’s historical past, from the preliminary radiant glows following the Big Bang to the evolution of our personal photo voltaic system. 

“We really are understanding and starting to get new information on how the very first galaxies formed and evolved in the universe,” Mark Clampin, the director of the astrophysics division at NASA headquarters in Washington, advised CBS News. 

He defined that not like the Hubble Telescope, Webb “can actually see inside these big dust clouds, and start to study stars as they’re being formed.” 

This permits scientists to observe these stars evolve and research how the planetary methods are born round them.

“And then, of course, we want to understand the nature of exoplanets,” Clampin mentioned, referring to planets exterior our personal photo voltaic system, “and ultimately start trying to find evidence of habitability.”

Webb has been observing doubtlessly liveable planets since its deployment. NASA reported that it at the moment is aware of of round 30 planets that could be “small, rocky planets like Earth and that orbit in the habitable zone.”  

Webb’s exceptional sensitivity permits it to detect and start to characterize the atmospheres of a number of promising, doubtlessly liveable planets orbiting cool stars, figuring out essential molecules for all times like water vapor, methane and carbon dioxide. 

“In just two years, Webb has transformed our view of the universe, enabling the kind of world-class science that drove NASA to make this mission a reality,” mentioned Clampin. “Webb is…ushering in a new era of studying distant worlds, while returning images that inspire people around the world and posing exciting new questions to answer. It has never been more possible to explore every facet of the universe.”