Paris: The European Space Agency revealed crystal clear images of the Phantom Galaxy, M74 on Monday. It combined the images taken from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to create a stunning view of the galaxy. The heart of galaxy is visible in the pictures as a spiral of stars located 32 million light-years from Earth.
The multi-observatory views of the Phantom Galaxy. (Picture: ESA)
The Phantom Galaxy belongs to a class known as a “grand design spiral,” which means that the arms branching out from its center are prominent and well-defined.
The Webb Telescope’s sharp vision owed to its Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) allowed it to detect “delicate filaments of gas and dust” in the Phantom Galaxy’s spiral arms, according to ESA. “Webb’s sharp vision has revealed delicate filaments of gas and dust in the grandiose spiral arms of M74, which wind outwards from the centre of the image. A lack of gas in the nuclear region also provides an unobscured view of the nuclear star cluster at the galaxy’s centre,” wrote ESA.
These observations are part of a larger effort to chart 19 nearby star-forming galaxies in the infrared by the international PHANGS collaboration. Those galaxies have already been observed using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories.
The addition of crystal-clear Webb observations at longer wavelengths will allow astronomers to pinpoint star-forming regions in the galaxies, accurately measure the masses and ages of star clusters, and gain insights into the nature of the small grains of dust drifting in interstellar space.
The agency also gave credit to civilian scientist Judy Schmidt, who first brought the opportunity for such images to the public’s attention.
The Hubble Telescope and Webb Telescope complement each other because the Hubble mostly looks at the universe through ultraviolet light and visible light, while the Webb primarily gazes at the stars through infrared light.
NASA, which partnered the ESA for the creation and usage of both telescopes, initially unveiled images taken by the Webb Telescope in July, giving the public a first look at the unprecedented clarity with which scientists can now observe the universe.
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