Dwarf 'Starburst' Galaxy NGC 4449 | James Webb Space Telescope

Dwarf 'Starburst' Galaxy NGC 4449 | James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope captured this image of “starburst” galaxy NGC 4449. Starbursts are intense periods of star formation usually concentrated at a galaxy’s core. However, NGC 4449’s activity is much more widespread—likely due to past interactions with its galactic neighbors. Astronomers can study this galaxy to look into the past. NGC 4449 is similar to early star-forming galaxies that also grew by merging with other systems.

Image Description: This is a close view of the central area of a dwarf galaxy. A huge number of stars fill the entire galaxy as tiny glowing points. They are brightest around the galaxy’s shining core. Thick clouds of gas and dust billow out across the scene, curling like moving flames. They glow in warm colors following their location: orange around the galaxy’s core, and around glowing star clusters in the bottom-left, and dark red elsewhere.

Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Adamo (Stockholm University) and the FEAST JWST team

Release Date: May 30, 2024

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