Posted in: 20/07/2022 – 11:00
The US Space Agency published Monday, July 18, a new, to say the least “terrifying” image of the space taken by the James Webb Telescope, showing the shape of a whirlwind that appears to bear similarities to the Milky Way, which includes the planet Earth.
Among the many images taken by the famous telescope, there is one that reveals a rather eerie galactic vortex of a strange color and shape as if it had been taken from a science fiction movie, yet it is only a picture of the distant elliptical galaxy NGC 628.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen this galaxy, as it was previously highlighted by the Hubble telescope, but James Webb’s image and his infrared technology offer a whole new look at it.
Look at this wonder transmitted by James Webb Space Telescope!
This is the Messier Spiral Galaxy M74 (NGC 628) 35 million light-years away, located in the constellation Pisces.
????: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope pic.twitter.com/7maytV84Nw
— Shining Science (@ShiningScience) July 18, 2022
“It’s a galaxy very similar to what we think our Milky Way looks like,” said Gabriel Brammer, an astronomer at the University of Copenhagen’s Cosmic Dawn Center. Using the Hubble telescope, it was possible to observe its spiral arms and stars blurred by cosmic dust. “We actually see an image of gas and dust in this galaxy instead of stars,” he added.
One of the most amazing things regarding the new image is its luscious bright purple color. About this, Brammer said: “The picture really struck me as soon as I saw it on my screen.” Meanwhile, the James Webb Telescope continues to capture images that surprise us daily.