JAKARTA – The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a new image of the Cartwheel Galaxy showing the rotating color ring in a clearer image. Located about 500 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Sculptor, the Cartwheel formed from a spectacular collision between two galaxies.
The United States Space Agency (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) said the collision caused two rings to extend from the center of the galaxy, like ripples in a pond after a rock was thrown into it.
The smaller white ring remains closer to the galactic center. While the outer ring with a color radius, has been expanding into the universe for about 440 million years. As the outer ring expands, it turns into gas, triggering the formation of new stars.
The Hubble Telescope has previously captured images of a rare ring galaxy, believed to be a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way before being hit by a smaller galaxy. But the Webb telescope has a much larger range.
The Webb telescope itself launched in December 2021 and revealed its first images to the world last month.
“Webb’s ability to detect infrared light allows him to stare through the incredible amount of hot dust that obscures the view of the Cartwheel Galaxy,” NASA and ESA said in a statement. BetweenWednesday (3/8).
The Webb telescope reveals new details about star formation in galaxies, as well as the behavior of the supermassive black hole at its heart. Webb was also able to detect areas rich in hydrocarbons and other chemicals, as well as dust similar to dust on Earth.
Behind the Cartwheel, two smaller galaxies shine brightly, in addition, more galaxies can also be seen behind them. According to the space agency, observations show that the Cartwheel Galaxy is still in a “very temporary stage”.
“While Webb gives us an idea of the current state of the Cartwheel, it also provides insight into what happened to this galaxy in the past and how it will evolve in the future,” NASA said.
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