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These Amazing New James Webb Space Telescope Images of Spiral Galaxies Are So Beautiful We Could Cry
https://www.sciencealert.com ^ | 22 JULY 2022 | MICHELLE STARR

Posted on 07/22/2022 11:01:35 AM PDT by Red Badger

It hasn't even been a fortnight since the first image release, and the James Webb Space Telescope is just continuously knocking all our socks off.

Only a few images have been officially released, but that hasn't stopped citizen scientists digging through the raw data to see what they can find.

One of those is Judy Schmidt, who has been processing raw space data into breathtaking images for years. Courtesy of her painstaking work, we now have absolutely jaw-dropping images of two spectacular spiral galaxies.

The first is NGC 628, also known as the Phantom Galaxy. The other is NGC 7496. Both are relatively close to the Milky Way, and both are the subject of ongoing observations as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) survey, to better chart the connections between young stars and the clouds of cold molecular gas that give birth to them.

ngc 628 new webb image body

Webb's new image of NGC 628. (Judy Schmidt/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

Contributing to PHANGS is one of Webb's early assignments, and already the images show that the newly deployed space telescope is very much worth the hype.

NGC 628 is one of the more spectacular kinds of galaxies in our sky. It's what is known as a "grand design" spiral galaxy: one with prominent, well-formed, and relatively unobscured arms. And, at just 32 million light-years away, it's close enough to provide plenty of detail for study.

ngc 628 hubble

Hubble image of NGC 628 released in 2007. (NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration)

Previous observations have revealed that the galaxy's spiral arms are rich with star-forming gas seeded with young and emerging stars. Astronomers have also observed at least three supernovae in NGC 628 since the turn of the millennium.

NGC 7496, located a mere 24 million light-years away, is what is known as a barred spiral galaxy, with spiral arms extending from a distinct bar that crosses the center of the galaxy. This is thought to be the result of uneven density in the galactic disk; the denser region pulls stars towards it to create bars.

ngc 7496 new jwst image

Webb's new view of NGC 7496. (Judy Schmidt/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

These bars are thought to be regions of rich star formation as gas is channeled inward towards their centers. A beautiful barred spiral like NGC 7496 that is clearly visible is therefore an excellent laboratory for studying how stars are born.

You'll notice that Webb's images are very different from those of Hubble – and that's a good thing. The two telescopes operate in different light regimes. Hubble is primarily an optical and ultraviolet instrument, while Webb sees in infrared, which can capture light obscured by dust and gas in optical wavelengths. This means that the observations are complementary; Hubble picks up the gas, and Webb can see the newborn stars inside it.

As explained by astronomer David Thilker of Johns Hopkins University, "We're going to clearly see star clusters in the hearts of these dense molecular clouds that before we only had indirect evidence of. Webb gives us a way to look inside these 'star factories' to see the freshly assembled star clusters and measure their properties before they evolve."

ngc 7496 hubble

A Hubble image of NGC 7496 released earlier this year. (ESA/Hubble & NASA/J. Lee/the PHANGS-HST Team/Judy Schmidt)

As you can see by comparing the images, Webb still picks up the glowing gas, but shows much more detail. In Hubble's images, the galactic nuclei are just a bright, featureless glow; Webb cuts through and shows much greater detail about what's happening in the space around the supermassive black holes around which the galaxies revolve.

We're standing at the precipice of a bold new era of space science. Already Webb seems to have identified a galaxy at a record-breaking distance, the earliest ever discovered. The papers are coming thick and fast on arXiv. Now these new images are some of the most detailed infrared views we've ever seen of spiral galaxies.

Scientists are yet to perform an analysis; we'll be waiting in hot anticipation of what Webb's data will reveal. Meanwhile, we're content to revel in the extreme pretty.

The new images are available on Schmidt's Flickr page, where you can download them in high resolution.


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Astronomy; History; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; hubble; jacksonryan; jwst; science; webbtelescope
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To: Red Badger

G-d is amazing!!!!


41 posted on 07/22/2022 2:02:04 PM PDT by Wuli
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To: sten
“That’s so beautiful, man!”


42 posted on 07/22/2022 2:15:41 PM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: Red Badger
See the JWST image to the right, see the brightest stars with 6 spires... now see the Hubble white star, it has only four spires.

I was reading last night that the six spires is a feature of only the JWST telescope.

43 posted on 07/22/2022 2:38:10 PM PDT by blam
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To: SkyDancer
"How old is God then?"

If someone could explain it, no-one would understand.

44 posted on 07/22/2022 2:39:45 PM PDT by blam
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To: SuperLuminal

2022: Why spend $10 billion on a “telescope”
90’s: Who needs a “cellphone” with more functions anyway
90’s: Who would ever need a computer that would fit in your pocket?
80’s: Why are they trying to make “integrated circuits” smaller anyway.
70’s: We don’t NEED to back to the moon, we should use that money for social programs
70’s: Transistors are just fine, why do we need these “integrated circuits” anyway
40’s: Why do we need these “transistors” anyway, vacuum tubes work just fine
.
.
.
somewhere in prehistory: rock smash, who need “sharp rock”

There have always been and always will be those who just don’t “get it”. Sad.


45 posted on 07/22/2022 2:45:51 PM PDT by Have Ruck - Will Travel (It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion...)
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To: Have Ruck - Will Travel

2023: Why do we need fertilizer and food? You’re going to die anyway.


46 posted on 07/22/2022 2:49:42 PM PDT by gitmo (If your theology doesn't become your biography, what good is it?)
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To: Have Ruck - Will Travel

Well stated...


47 posted on 07/22/2022 2:58:23 PM PDT by SuperLuminal
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To: The Sons of Liberty

“Touching, but there is a LONG way to go to justify the $10 BILLION spent on it.”

I suppose you must have lost your mind when Biden left $75 billion of the finest military hardware in the world in Afghanistan for the CCP.


48 posted on 07/22/2022 2:58:42 PM PDT by odawg
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To: I-ambush

Just being blond.


49 posted on 07/22/2022 3:14:47 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( I make airplanes fly, what's your super power?)
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To: Red Badger

I can’t find any of the JWST photos on Schmidt’s page. Lots of Hubble, but no JWST. What am I doing wrong/


50 posted on 07/22/2022 3:27:41 PM PDT by Portcall24
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To: blam

The JWST uses hexagonal shaped mirrors................

51 posted on 07/25/2022 5:28:33 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Portcall24

https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/


52 posted on 07/25/2022 5:33:57 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

Wow. Just Wow. Good article, too.


53 posted on 07/25/2022 6:51:44 AM PDT by HeadOn (Love God. Lead your family. Be a man.)
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To: Red Badger

Read later.


54 posted on 07/25/2022 7:31:16 AM PDT by NetAddicted (Just looking)
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To: Red Badger
"The JWST uses hexagonal shaped mirrors................ "

Yes. I know all about it.

Here's what I'm talking about:

Wondering About The 6 Rays Coming Out Of JWST's Test Image? Here's Why They Happen


55 posted on 07/25/2022 10:29:27 AM PDT by blam
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To: blam

Seems to me they could ‘filter out’ those.....................


56 posted on 07/25/2022 10:31:05 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

Terrific photos!


57 posted on 07/25/2022 10:32:16 AM PDT by JerseyDvl (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.)
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