New JWST image of interacting galaxies! #space #astronomy #nasa #shorts

New JWST image of interacting galaxies! #space #astronomy #nasa #shorts

The latest image captured by the most powerful telescope in space showcases a remarkable encounter between two entire galaxies. One galaxy, which now resembles a penguin, originally started as a spiral galaxy similar to our Milky Way. As these galaxies approached each other, gravitational forces caused significant distortion in the penguin-shaped galaxy.

Interestingly, the galaxy appearing like the penguin's egg has remained relatively unchanged. This stability is attributed to a fascinating reason: both galaxies, though visually distinct, possess the same mass. The older egg-shaped galaxy has exhausted most of its dust and gas in star formation, leaving it with less material to interact with gravitationally. In contrast, the penguin-shaped galaxy still contains ample dust and gas. This material is pulled and moved around, which triggers new star formation.

In the Hubble image, this phenomenon is more apparent. The blue regions highlight areas of newly formed stars, where gravitational interactions spark stellar birth.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this image is the presence of a giant galaxy in the background. This massive galaxy is actually much closer to Earth compared to the interacting galaxies. Consequently, the light from this galaxy hasn't traveled as long through space.

Here's a version of the image captured with longer wavelengths, showing the giant galaxy as completely invisible.

Keywords

• JWST
• Galaxies
• Spiral Galaxy
• Milky Way
• Hubble
• Star Formation
• Gravitational Forces
• Space Telescope
• Astronomy
• NASA

FAQ

1. What type of galaxy did the penguin-shape galaxy start as?

• It started as a spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way.

2. Why has the egg-shaped galaxy remained unchanged?

• The egg-shaped galaxy has already used most of its dust and gas to form stars, leaving it with less material to be affected.

3. What triggers star formation in the penguin-shaped galaxy?

• The interaction and movement of dust and gas within the galaxy due to gravitational forces trigger star formation.

4. Why is the background giant galaxy invisible in longer wavelengths of the image?

• The background giant galaxy is visible only in certain wavelengths. At longer wavelengths, it's completely invisible.

5. What tool captured these stunning images of the interacting galaxies?

• The most powerful space telescope, presumably the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), captured these images, with additional imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope.