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What it is: Arp 107, a set of communicating galaxies
Where it is: 465 million light-years away, in the constellation Leo Minor
When it was shared: Sept. 18, 2024
Why it’s so unique: A brand-new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) image has actually exposed the striking celestial sight of a big spiral nebula– just like our own Milky Way– connecting with a little elliptical galaxy.
The 2 galaxies are jointly called Arp 107 due to the fact that they were very first cataloged by American astronomer Halton Arp, whose 1966 “Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies” in-depth interacting and combining galaxies in the night sky.
It was imaged last year by the Hubble Space TelescopeArp 107 has actually now been regained utilizing JWST’s effective infrared look. This indicates astronomers can study the 2 disorderly galaxies in wavelengths of light undetectable to Hubble and the human eye.
Showing that in some cases it’s not what you take a look at in the night sky that matters however how you take a look at it, the brand-new image rather looks like a cosmic face. The 2 galaxy cores become its intense “eyes,” while a bridge of stars linking them forms a semicircular “smile.”
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Related: 35 jaw-dropping James Webb Space Telescope images
The image is a composite of information from 2 video cameras on JWST, the biggest and most effective telescope ever released into area. It integrates observations from JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and Near Infrared Camera, which discover wavelengths of light that expose a lot more than Hubble can. The MIRI image has actually likewise been released individually
In addition to the bridge of stars pulled from both galaxies throughout their entanglement, JWST’s information exposes star-forming areas, dust and an intense nucleus in the big “Seyfert” spiral nebula that houses an exceptionally intense, point-like active galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive great void
The brand-new image is similar to Webb’s 2022 image of the Cartwheel Galaxy in the constellation Sculptor and 2 smaller sized buddy galaxies.
How to see it in the night sky: Arp 107 is much too far away to be noticeable to a great yard telescopeSeptember is a good time to observe the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). A spiral nebula bigger than the Galaxyit’s about 2.5 million light-years away. It’s increasing in the northeastern sky after dark, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere.
For more superb area images, take a look at our Area Photo of the Week archives
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