NASA observed the Wheel galaxy through the Webb Space Telescope.Figure: Retrieved from NASA’s official website
NASA uploaded a photo on its official website on the 2nd local time, announcing that a wheel galaxy in the constellation Sculptor, 500 million light-years away, was observed through the Webb Space Telescope, providing a new perspective for scientists to understand star formation and New details on black holes at the centers of galaxies yield more insights into how wheel galaxies have changed over billions of years.
In the photo released by NASA, there is a large pink-spotted galaxy resembling a wheel, with two smaller companion galaxies next to it. Located in the constellation Sculptor about 500 million light-years away, the Wheel Galaxy is a rare sight that looks like a carriage wheel, NASA said, because a large spiral galaxy and a small galaxy collided at high speed, affecting the shape of the galaxy. and structure.
According to NASA, the Wheel Galaxy has a bright core, an inner ring, and an outer starburst ring, the two rings extending outward from the center of the collision. Because of these unique features, astronomers call these “ring galaxies,” which are rarer than spiral galaxies in the Milky Way.
The wheel galaxy’s core contains a lot of hot dust, and the brightest regions are home to huge young star clusters. The outer ring expands for about 440 million years, dominated by star formation and supernovae. When the ring expands, it enters the surrounding gas and triggers star formation.
The Hubble Space Telescope has also discovered the Wheel Galaxy, but it cannot be further understood because it is blocked by a large amount of dust. The Webb Space Telescope uses the data detected by the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to uncover this mystery and allow scientists to have more understanding.
NASA announces the observation of a wheel galaxy in the constellation Sculptor 500 million light-years away with the Webb Space Telescope
In the photo released by NASA, there is a large pink-spotted galaxy that resembles a wheel
The Webb Space Telescope uses the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to detect and obtain data
Located 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor, the Wheel galaxy discovered by NASA consists of a bright inner ring and an active outer ring.Figure: Retrieved from NASA’s official website