2023-07-10 14:30:00
A real cosmic shock immortalized in images.
Space telescopes give us unobstructed views of the universe and its wonders. The galaxy NGC 3256 spotted by the James Webb may seem relatively tranquil at first glance with its spiral shape comparable to the Milky Way, only the misty white cloud surrounding it suggests that its history is tumultuous. By dwelling on the image, we also notice that it is deformed in several places, which would be the sign, according to NASA, of a cosmic shock with another galaxy.
A collision 120 million light-years away
This meeting between two galaxies is estimated at 500 million years, “the red and orange regions distributed in the galaxy contain young stars created during the fusion”, specifies the study.
Given the large distances, it should not be imagined that the stars of the two galaxies collide violently during the merger. It is rather the clouds of gas and dust that interact and cause new stars to emerge that are observed in the brightest parts, in the infrared wavelengths of the photo.
The image below shows the galaxy NGC 3256 was captured by the NIRCam and NIRISS instruments in the near infrared. The second image comes from the wide field camera and the ACS camera which extends from ultraviolet to near infrared.
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