NASA released more than a dozen new, detailed images of spiral galaxies captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
The various pictures are part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS program, according to the space agency. The program is supported by more than 150 researchers around the world and has collected other data about galaxies prior to the photo release on Monday.
Go on, give these a whirl.
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) January 29, 2024
Webb just released highly detailed images of 19 spiral galaxies! These observations add new near and mid-infrared puzzle pieces to the PHANGS program, a worldwide astronomy project: https://t.co/TBNbkzUJ7p pic.twitter.com/ioYKrQPW6W
“Webb shows dusty, gaseous bubbles and filaments in the finest detail ever observed, telling a story about star formation,” the space agency wrote in a post on X. “The large spherical shells may have been carved out by exploding stars and have only been seen by Webb.”
“Evidence from Webb also shows that galaxies grow from inside out,” NASA wrote in a subsequent post. “Star formation begins at galaxies’ cores and spreads along their arms, spiraling away from the center. The areas near the cores that look lit by a blue spotlight are older stars.”
Scientists lauded the images released from the space telescope, with Janice Lee, project scientist for strategic initiatives at the Space Telescope Science Institute, calling the photos extraordinary.
“They’re mind-blowing even for researchers who have studied these same galaxies for decades,” Lee said. “Bubbles and filaments are resolved down to the smallest scales ever observed and tell a story about the star formation cycle.”
All 19 high-quality images released by NASA can be found on the space agency’s website.
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NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope into space in December 2021, and both it and the European Space Agency have released images from the telescope since July 2022. Both agencies have touted the telescope’s advanced capabilities and high-quality instruments.
Scientists have gushed about how the Webb telescope has helped them better understand the complexity of the cosmos. Since its launch, the telescope has been the catalyst for several breakthroughs made as scientists seek to understand more about the universe.
