NASA, ESA and CSA (Canadian space agency) have published a new, spectacular image of the Phantom Galaxy (M74), 32 million light years away, in the constellation of Pisces.
The photo was made by combining the observations data, in different wavelengths (infrared / visible), of the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes.
M74 is particularly interesting for astronomers who study the origin and formation of spiral galaxies, both for its orientation, well turned towards the Earth, and for its structure, with protruding and well-defined arms.
NASA / ESA / CSA
Three views of M74: Hubble, Hubble & Webb, Webb
In particular, the acute sight of the James Webb (JSWT) revealed the presence of delicate filaments of gas and dust between the immense coils of M74.
Furthermore, the lack of gas in the nuclear region has provided an unobscured view of the star cluster in the "heart" of the galaxy.
NASA / ESA / CSA
M74 with the star cluster in the center photographed by the Webb Telescope
The spectroscopic analysis of M74 in the mid-infrared wavelength, obtained by the JSWT through the MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument), aims to improve our knowledge of the early stages of star formation in that area of the Universe.
This observation is part of a larger project involving the infrared tracking of 19 nearby galaxies with stars in the formation, as part of the international collaboration Phangs (Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS).
The same galaxies have already been observed by the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope and by observers on the ground.