Arp 107, taken from the James Webb Space Telescope. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
The latest Webb image shows a bridge of stars and gases between the two galaxies and will help researchers learn more about star formation.
The James Webb Space Telescope has turned its gaze to a merger of cosmic proportions – two galaxies on the cusp of slamming into each other.
The space observatory took images of Arp 107 – the collective name for an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy interacting with each other. The region has been observed before in infrared by the Spitzer Space Telescope, but Webb is able to observe the galaxies at a much higher resolution.
The image was taken by combining observations from Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) and NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera). The image is able to capture the interaction in great detail – a white bridge of stars and gas is seen between the two galaxies.
Nasa notes how the spiral galaxy takes on a ‘happier’ look in the James Webb image, with two bright ‘eyes’ and a wide ‘smile’ in the image. An image taken just from Webb’s MIRI provides a snapshot of the bright nucleus of the larger spiral galaxy – an area that contains a supermassive black hole.
Arp 107, taken from the James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
The spiral galaxy is classified as a Seyfert galaxy, which are one of the two largest groups of active galaxies. These types of galaxies aren’t as luminous and distant as quasars, making them a more convenient way to study similar phenomena in lower energy light, such as infrared.
The term ‘galactic collision’ sounds intense, but NASA says it is not as bad as one may think. Collisions between galaxies can compress gas, improving the conditions needed for more stars to form. Though the collision can also disperse a lot of gas, potentially depriving new stars of the material they need to form.
Regardless, the new image will help scientists learn more about star formation – a topic Webb has been focused on in various cosmic studies.
This is not the first time that the James Webb has observed galactic collisions either. NASA said the latest image bears a similarity to the Cartwheel Galaxy, one of the first interacting galaxies that Webb observed.
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