The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new view of two galaxies, dubbed Penguin and Egg amid a cosmic dance that marks the observatory’s second anniversary.
Launched on December 25, 2021, the Webb telescope shared its first scientific observations of the universe on July 12, 2022. Since then, it has provided unprecedented perspectives of the cosmos in infrared wavelengths of light, which are invisible to the human eye.
Webb’s keen eye was able to see through gas and dust that would normally be obscured to locate distant galaxies, detect molecules in the atmospheres of exoplanets and highlight subtle details in exploding stars.
“With remarkable images of corners of the cosmos stretching back nearly to the beginning of time, Webb’s capabilities are shedding new light on our celestial surroundings and inspiring future generations of scientists, astronomers and explorers,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
And now, Webb has used his scientific instruments to create a detailed portrait of the entangled Penguin and Egg galaxies, collectively called Arp 142, by combining observations in near-infrared and mid-infrared light.
The galaxies, so named because of their resemblance to a penguin guarding an egg, are 326 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra.
A Tale of Two Galaxies
Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument reveal a blue haze, representing a mixture of stars and gas, that shows how the two galaxies are bound together.
They’re about 100,000 light-years away, which is close, astronomically speaking. For reference, the Milky Way’s closest neighbor is the Andromeda galaxy, 2.5 million light-years away, and these two are expected to collide in about 4 billion years. A light-year, the distance light travels in one year, is 9.46 trillion kilometers.
Astronomers estimate that the Penguin and Egg galaxies first interacted between 25 million and 75 million years ago. Since then, their celestial dance has continued as they orbit each other. Millions of years from now, they will merge into a single galaxy.
The Hubble Space Telescope captured the galactic duo in 2013 in visible light, seen on the left in the slider below, but Webb’s image captures details never before seen in infrared light.
The Penguin initially resembled a spiral, but over time, its appearance was reshaped through interactions with the Egg galaxy. Now, the center of the galaxy serves as the Penguin’s eye, and its spiral arms have unfurled to resemble a beak, head, spine, and fan-shaped tail.
The dance between the two galaxies exerted a gravitational tug on parts of the Penguin, causing parts of the gas and dust that fill the galaxy to collide and trigger waves of star formation. These stellar nurseries can be seen as feathers on the Penguin’s tail and what resembles a fish in its beak.
The smoky material around the baby stars contains carbon molecules, while the faint orange represents dust. In the background of the image are distant spiral and oval galaxies.
Meanwhile, the oval-shaped Egg galaxy remains largely unchanged. Full of aging stars, the galaxy contains less gas and dust than the Penguin, so its structure has not been disturbed. And because both galaxies have roughly the same mass, the Penguin has not overtaken the Egg.
Astronomers estimate that the Webb telescope will operate for at least 20 years, providing a unique way to study the universe and solve some of its many mysteries.
“In just two years, Webb has transformed our view of the universe, enabling the kind of world-class science that led NASA to make this mission a reality,” Mark Clampin, director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division, said in a statement.
“Webb is providing insights into long-standing mysteries about the early universe and ushering in a new era of studying distant worlds, while returning images that inspire people around the world and raise exciting new questions to be answered. It has never been more possible to explore all facets of the universe,” he added.
Source: CNN Brasil
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