The James Webb Space Telescope has recently released new photos that give
us a view of a galaxy located 17 million light-years away. The photographs,
which were released on Friday, are a part of a "astronomical treasure trove"
that assembles studies of star formation.
According to NASA, the "delicate tracery of dust and bright star clusters"
are located in the spiral galaxy
NGC 5068, which is 17 million light-years away from the Earth. The galaxy, which
lies in the Virgo constellation, is described on the telescope's website as
being "as never before."
Webb’s looked at galaxies from both sides now…
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) June 2, 2023
From dust structures in mid-infrared light to stars in near-infrared light, Webb’s dual vision is helping us to see star-forming regions — such as galaxy NGC 5068 — as never before: https://t.co/hcKATghK07 pic.twitter.com/6n2YLejv9l
The center of the galaxy may be seen in one photograph, which appears to be
marked by a blazing white bar, according to the European Space Agency.
The image's description from the European Space Agency reads, "Thousands
upon thousands of tiny stars that make it up can be seen, most dense in a
whitish bar that forms its core." "Dust clumps and filaments follow the
twist of the galaxy and its spiral arm, forming an almost skeletal
structure. The dust conceals large, incandescent bubbles of crimson
gas.
Three asteroid tracks are seen in the galaxy in another image taken by the
telescope's MIRI instrument as "tiny blue-green-red dots." However, NASA
claimed that such asteroid tails did not truly traverse the galaxy. They
only became visible due to the fact that "they are much closer to the
telescope than the distant target."
The asteroid travels and appears in a slightly different location in each
frame as Webb takes multiple pictures of the celestial object, according to
the European Space Agency.
The agency stated that this project's goal is to "create an astronomical
treasure trove," or "a repository of observations of star formation in
nearby galaxies." This project includes the creation of these galactic
pictures. Before the Webb telescope, it was impossible to see past the gas
and dust that surround developing stars. However, NASA said that because to
the telescope's special tools, researchers were able to see "right through
the gargantuan clouds of dust in NGC 5068 and captured the processes of star
formation as they happened."
It is hoped that having this collection would enable astronomers to expand
their understanding of stars and space.
