[Epoch Times, August 03, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Li Yan comprehensive report) The James Webb Space Telescope (James Webb Space Telescope) has captured astonishing images of a rare galaxy in distant space through cosmic dust.
This image captured by the Webb telescope released by NASA on August 2, 2022 shows a huge “Cartwheel galaxy” (Cartwheel galaxy) in distant space 500 million light-years from Earth.
NASA said the ring galaxy was formed by the violent collision of a large spiral galaxy and a small galaxy.
When galaxies collide, their shape and structure change. In this wheel-like galaxy, a colorful outer ring surrounds a brighter inner ring, both of which expand outward from the center of the collision, as depicted in Webb’s image.
These features are why scientists classify wheel galaxies as ring galaxies, which are much rarer than spiral galaxies.
The images reveal regions within the Wheel galaxy rich in hydrocarbons and other chemicals, as well as silicate dust, like most dust on Earth. These regions form a series of spiral spokes that essentially form the backbone of the galaxy.
Thanks to the observational capabilities of the Webb telescope, astronomers have gained new insights into individual stars and star formation within this complex galaxy, as well as the black hole at the center of the galaxy.
New images reveal more about how the galaxy has evolved over billions of years.
The images show huge clusters of young stars forming in the bright inner ring of hot dust.
Meanwhile, the outer ring, which has been expanding for 440 million years, is where star formation and death (in the form of supernova explosions) occur. As the ring expanded outward, it collided with gas, which triggered more star formation.
At the same time, two small companion galaxies also appear in the image.
The Wheel Galaxy has been studied by the Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories, but the thick dust has made this rare galaxy even more mysterious. Webb is an infrared telescope that sees light invisible to the human eye, which is why it can pick up the latest information that other instruments cannot.
The newly released image, a composite of data collected by the Webb telescope’s near-infrared camera and mid-infrared instrument, captures the momentary freeze as the wheel’s information continues to slowly evolve. These spokes in the wheel were evident in previous Hubble observations released in 2018, but in this Webb image, they became more prominent.
While the Webb telescope currently provides only a snapshot of the galaxy’s current state, it also provides insight into what happened to the galaxy in the past and how it will evolve in the future.
The Webb telescope officially began scientific operations on July 12. On the same day, NASA released its first images. According to NASA, more images will be released in the coming weeks.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#