James Webb Space Telescope: Mind-Bending Images Of The Cartwheel Galaxy And The Rest Of Our Universe

Source: Pixabay

The James Webb Telescope is giving us a perspective of the cosmos that has never been possible before. We can’t even begin to fathom what James Webb views through the telescope, which is the beginnings of the universe and other places in the cosmos that are too far away for our eyes to behold.

Similar to a time machine, this huge telescope shared its first photographs with the world on July 12 that showed us distant galaxies, the death of stars, and the atmospheres of worlds beyond our solar system. The newest picture from the James Webb Telescope, released on August 2, advances our knowledge of the cosmos by illuminating the aftermath of a collision between galaxies.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
Credit: NASA

The telescope’s infrared sensors were able to see through the cosmic dust generated by the collision, giving us a glimpse of how the Cartwheel Galaxy is evolving after a collision with smaller galaxy billions of years ago. Over 500 million light-years distant, the Cartwheel Galaxy is a ringed galaxy with a brilliant inner ring and colorful outer ring that scientists believe was originally a part of a huge spiral galaxy like the Milky Way until another galaxy slammed through it.

NASA

According to NASA, the galactic appearance that first resembled scientists of a wagon wheel is the result of a high-velocity collision. The galaxy’s unusual ring structure was formed when its two rings radiated outward from the impact zone.nNever before have scientists had such a clear view into the Cartwheel Galaxy’s incoherence.

Even though the Hubble Space Telescope has previously seen into the galaxy, the dust around the Cartwheel Galaxy prohibited it from viewing the activities occurring inside the galaxy. But today, with the infrared cameras on board the James Webb Telescope, researchers can see directly into the galactic core.

Susan Kowal
Susan Kowal is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor/advisor, and health enthusiast.