The new findings of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are always looked forward to as this most advanced telescope continues to amaze us with the latest exciting things about the Universe.
Scientists captured an unprecedented view of this star-making material when they aimed the JWST's instruments to look at some of the nearby galaxies.
Their data revealed billowing wisps of dust too faint to be seen with other telescopes, as well as star clusters near the galactic heart and where dusty 'cocoons' produce new stars.
This beautiful visual, which is described as a river full of stars and dust, opens the first step for astronomers to map how star nurseries can influence the shape of their home galaxy, which is much more magnificent.
Astronomers with the PHANGS (Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby Galaxies) survey observe several galaxies facing each other. With these images, astronomers peer at star formation in galaxies millions of light years away.
The images obtained include views of NGC 1365, a spiral galaxy located roughly 60 million light years away. The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) James Webb Telescope collected the data for this image.
To see dusty trail streams, astronomers need next-generation instruments tuned to the infrared, the segment of the electromagnetic spectrum where the fine heat of dust can be detected.
"JWST allowed us to pinpoint the youngest stars still within their birth clouds in nearby galaxies. This capability allows us to look into the gas and dust in the centers of gas-rich galaxies to study where and how incoming gas flows are transformed into stars. , as in NGC 1365, and compare the results with the Milky Way," said Eva Schinnerer, one of the PHANGS collaborators, quoted from Inverse, Sunday (19/2/2023).
Astronomers have also observed the spiral galaxy NGC 628, known as Messier 74 or the Ghost Galaxy. To see it, JWST peered 32 million light years into the constellation Pisces.
The symmetrical arms give it a spiral shape. A cluster of stars shines unhindered in its core, and new stars form in the spiral arms. JWST's other first PHANGS target (there will be a total of 19 galaxies in the survey) is the spiral galaxy NGC 1433.
"NGC 1433 is classified as a Seyfert galaxy, a relatively close-to-Earth galaxy that has an active and bright core. The brightness and lack of dust in the MIRI image of NGC 1433 could hint at a recent merger or even a collision with another galaxy," wrote an official from the Agency. ESA European Space.
This is the first time scientists have seen the massive gas bubbles released when stars expand and release energy.
The observatory couldn't see dust in this galaxy before JWST. The material is too dim to be seen in optical light at long distances, and not volatile enough to emit ultraviolet light.
"Now that JWST has created the star-making material, astronomers can more closely link small-scale events such as star birth to the global appearance of a galaxy," the researchers said.