The hypnotizing swirls of the Phantom Galaxy are magnificent in any light!
Here are three different views of the same region. The first image shows Webb's mid-infrared view, the second image combines Hubble and Webb data, and the last image displays Hubble's optical view.
With two space telescopes' powers combined, we can get a more complete view of the universe. While @NASAHubble’s previously revealed bright areas of star formation in visible and ultraviolet wavelengths, Webb’s infrared vision is helping to pinpoint these regions, accurately measure the masses and ages of star clusters, and gain insight into interstellar dust.
This observation is part of the PHANGS survey.
Image Descriptions:
1. Webb Mid-Infrared View: Delicate gray, web-like filaments form a spiral pattern winding outwards from the center of the galaxy. These spiral arms are traced by blue and bursts of pink, which are star-forming regions. A speckled cluster of young stars glow blue at the very heart of the galaxy.
2. Hubble & Webb Combined View: Here, Webb's mid-infrared data has been combined with optical data from Hubble. Lacy red filaments spiraling out of the center of the galaxy are overlaid over a black field speckled with tiny blue stars. The red filaments contain pops of bright pink, which are star-forming regions. The red color is dust, and lighter oranges in the dust means that dust is hotter. Heavier older stars closer to the center of the galaxy are cyan and green, and contribute to a greenish glow at the core.
3. Hubble Optical View: Arms carved of brown filaments spiral out from a bright galactic core. The arms have pops of pink, which are star-forming regions. Blue stars are speckled throughout the dark background.
Credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team; ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar. Acknowledgement: J. Schmidt
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