The spectacular Ghost Galaxy and other cosmic whirlpools revealed by the James Webb Telescope

The brand new

Space

continues to send back extraordinary data.

Among the most recent, images of several

spiral

Messier 74

Located about 32 million light-years away in the constellation of Pisces, the

(also called NGC 628 or Ghost Galaxy) is a beautiful "grand design" spiral, that is, its arms are very prominent and very well delineated (other spirals have arms with a more irregular or diffuse structure).

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Date with the sky.

The best space images of August: the spectacular Cartwheel galaxy, melting ice in Svalvard and northern lights

• Drafting: RAFAEL BACHILLERMadrid

The best space images of August: the spectacular Cartwheel galaxy, melting ice in Svalvard and northern lights

Science.

The James Webb telescope takes its first direct image of an exoplanet

• Editorial: EFE

The James Webb telescope takes its first direct image of an exoplanet

The James Webb Space Telescope has turned its gaze to the

to offer us an image, in the mid-infrared, in which it is possible to appreciate the innumerable

that populate and interconnect the great spiral arms.

Infrared light also allows a very clear view of the central region of the galaxy, where a dense cluster of massive stars appears.

Given its great design and its very favorable orientation, which allows all its details to be observed, this galaxy has always been one of the favorites of astronomers, as it is ideal for studying all the physical phenomena associated with spiral galaxies, such as the

that are responsible for the formation of the arms.

For this reason, since its discovery in the 18th century, Messier 74 has been observed with most of the world's telescopes and, of course, with the Hubble Space

, the younger brother of the Webb.

The center of the Ghost Galaxy as seen by Hubble and Webb with an overlay in the center. NASA/ESA/CSA

As the attached figures illustrate, Hubble offers us a very clear view, in visible and ultraviolet light, of the zones dominated by star formation where massive young stars ionize hydrogen forming the so-called

Instead, the Webb images highlight the presence of cold gas and dust in areas where new generations of stars may form in the future.

Thus, the combination of all the data, from Hubble and Webb, offers us a

that reveals all facets of this great galaxy.

Messier 74 and NGC1365 observed from the ground with wide-field telescopes. ESO and Obs.

Cerro Tololo

NGC1365

Another spiral galaxy, also of great design, recently observed by Webb is

, which is about 56 million light-years away in the southern constellation of

(the Furnace).

This cosmic whirlpool is characterized by two

in its central region, bars that Webb data show have very different characteristics: the main one has many more young stars and is not very prominent in the mid-infrared, while the second shows an intense emission from the dust that abounds there.

The center of the galaxy NGC1365 observed by the Webb.NASA/ESA/CSA

NGC1365 also has a

at its core, which is visible in the new images as a bright spot.

Naturally it is not the black hole itself, but the

that falls on it while it is illuminated by the intense

ambient

The fall of material on this black hole is channeled and dosed, to a great extent, by the central bars of the galaxy.

These observations are part of an ambitious

of a whole set of nearby galaxies.

The project, called PHANGS (

), includes the observation of twenty large-design galaxies with multiple telescopes.

The Webb images are especially interesting for revealing the properties of existing bars in some of these galaxies.

Two-thirds of spiral galaxies could be

, and quite possibly, recent observations indicate, our own

also has a bar in its central region.

Being immersed in the plane of our galaxy, we cannot observe its structure in detail.

However, observing other spiral galaxies, with and without bars, from our own, we can deduce the properties of the Milky Way with the ultimate goal of understanding how it was formed and how it is evolving.

Rafael Bachiller

is director of the National Astronomical Observatory (National Geographic Institute) and academic of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain.

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