What’s better than a space telescope? Two space telescopes! Although Hubble is already a few years away from retirement, this does not mean that it has nothing more to give. Quite the contrary, and it is that in an image recently published by the European Space Agency, James Webb has joined forces with Hubble to capture the Ghost Galaxy in a much more impressive way.
It is not the first time that the James Webb has let us see the Phantom Galaxy, also known by the name of Messier 74. However, while previously we could only observe the infrared spectrum of the celestial body, Hubble has managed to add its optical vision to the equation. The result is an image that is much richer in detail, and more impressive.
Messier 74, meanwhile, It is located about 32 million light years away from Earth., in the middle of the constellation of Pisces. Its curious shape has made it one of the favorite celestial objects of astronomy enthusiasts, as well as researchers who focus their studies on the formation of galaxies.
How have James Webb and Hubble captured this curious image of the Ghost Galaxy?
The James Webb is one of the most powerful astronomical instruments in existence today. With its MIRI cameras (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) is able to see through the gas and dust that surrounds galaxies. Thus, it can reveal much more information about the objects within them, as well as their formation.
Thus, the James Webb has captured delicate filaments of gas and dust in the spiral arms of Messier 74. Also, thanks to a lack of gas in the central region, Webb provided a unique view of the nuclear star cluster at the center of the galaxy.
But M74 is not the only galaxy being studied by James Webb. Another 19 star formations are being observed using the telescope’s infrared instruments. The reason is to study the formation of stars in conjunction with the international collaboration PHANGS (High Angular Resolution Physics in Nearby Galaxies).
Our goal is to understand the interaction of the small-scale physics of gas and star formation with galactic structure and galaxy evolution.
PHANGS (Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby Galaxies)
For its part, Hubble was able to capture information in frequencies of visible and ultraviolet light. The result was a view that “will enable astronomers to pinpoint star-forming regions, accurately measure the masses and ages of star clusters, and learn more about the nature of the tiny dust grains floating around in space.” interstellar,” said ESA.