The PHANGS Image Collection | James Webb Space Telescope
A treasure trove of images from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope showcases near- and mid-infrared portraits of 19 face-on spiral galaxies. This new set of images show stars, gas, and dust on the smallest scales ever observed beyond our own galaxy. Teams of researchers are studying these images to uncover the origins of these intricate structures. The research community’s collective analysis will ultimately inform theorists’ simulations, and advance our understanding of star formation and the evolution of spiral galaxies.
These Webb images are part of a large, long-standing project, the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) programme, that is supported by over 150 astronomers worldwide.
Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) captured millions of stars in these images that sparkle in blue tones. There are stars spread throughout the spiral arms, while others are clumped tightly together in star clusters.
The telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) data highlights glowing dust, showing us where it exists behind, around, and between stars. It also spotlights stars that have not yet fully formed—they are still encased in the gas and dust that feed their growth, like bright red seeds at the tips of dusty peaks.
To the amazement of astronomers, Webb’s images also show large, spherical shells in the gas and dust that may have been created by exploded stars.
The spiral arms’ extended regions of gas also reveal details in red and orange. Astronomers study the spacing of these features to learn how a galaxy distributes its gas and dust. These structures will provide key insights about how galaxies build, maintain, and shut off star formation.
Evidence shows that galaxies grow from inside out—star formation begins at galaxies’ cores and spreads along their arms, spiraling away from the center. The farther a star is from the galaxy’s core, the more likely it is to be younger. In contrast, the areas near the cores that look lit by a blue spotlight are populations of older stars. The galaxy cores that are awash in pink-and-red diffraction spikes may indicate an active supermassive black hole or saturation from bright star clusters toward the center.
Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, STScI, J. Lee (STScI), T. Williams (Oxford), PHANGS Team, E. Wheatley (STScI), N. Bartmann
Release Date: Jan. 29, 2024
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