homehome Home chatchat Notifications


James Webb's latest gem is this stunning picture of Cartwheel galaxy

The galaxy's odd shape is owed to an ancient collission between two galaxies.

Tibi Puiu
August 5, 2022 @ 5:46 pm

share Share

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) released its first mesmerizing images earlier this month, but astronomers are actually sifting through a huge treasure trove of data that will keep them busy for years — and many of these observations are expected to be groundbreaking. JWST has already broken the record for the most distant galaxy twice, and it’s just getting started.

The gorgeous Cartwheel galaxy captured by the JWST in near-infrared. Credit: NASA, ESA.

This week, astronomers showcased the magnificent Cartwheel galaxy, which is located about 500 million light-years from Earth. We’ve known about this galaxy for decades, but we’ve never seen it in such rich detail — and it’s easy to see how the galaxy got its name.

You can clearly see a star-rich, bright hub in the center of a tire-like ring of stars. There are even wavey arms extending from the central hub just like spokes. Additionally, JWST also snapped two smaller companion galaxies on the left-hand side.

Scientists think the gorgeous galaxy’s peculiar shape is owed to an ancient collision of two galaxies, which must have occurred hundreds of millions of years ago. The original shape of the Cartwheel likely started out looking similar to the Milky Way, a spiral galaxy, until another smaller galaxy moved through. Because the smaller galaxy crashed straight through the middle of the larger one like a bullet, the event was less disruptive to the shape of each galaxy, so both retained some of their individuality.

The Cartwheel galaxy as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995. Many of the new visible features seen in the new JWST observations are obscured by clouds of dust. Credit: NASA/ESA.

These unique circumstances resulted in the fascinating shape of the Cartwheel galaxy — a shape that has enthralled astronomers since they first observed it decades ago using ground telescopes like the Schmidt telescope in the UK and the Anglo-Australian telescope. Later, in the 1990s, Hubble Space Telescope snapped its own detailed picture of the Cartwheel galaxy in visible light. However, JWST’s infrared camera can see many more stars because it can literally peer through clouds of dust and gas. The images were later color-corrected so the stars and dust clouds look clearer and better to the human eye.

The Cartwheel galaxy is still expanding, adding new stars being constantly added inside its outer ring and around its edge. The galaxy is already one and a half times larger than the Milky Way and scientists don’t know yet how long it will keep expanding. As for the smaller galaxy that caused this cosmic disruption hundreds of millions of years ago, astronomers say it’s long gone out of the picture.

share Share

How Hot is the Moon? A New NASA Mission is About to Find Out

Understanding how heat moves through the lunar regolith can help scientists understand how the Moon's interior formed.

This 5,500-year-old Kish tablet is the oldest written document

Beer, goats, and grains: here's what the oldest document reveals.

A Huge, Lazy Black Hole Is Redefining the Early Universe

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a massive, dormant black hole from just 800 million years after the Big Bang.

Did Columbus Bring Syphilis to Europe? Ancient DNA Suggests So

A new study pinpoints the origin of the STD to South America.

The Magnetic North Pole Has Shifted Again. Here’s Why It Matters

The magnetic North pole is now closer to Siberia than it is to Canada, and scientists aren't sure why.

For better or worse, machine learning is shaping biology research

Machine learning tools can increase the pace of biology research and open the door to new research questions, but the benefits don’t come without risks.

This Babylonian Student's 4,000-Year-Old Math Blunder Is Still Relatable Today

More than memorializing a math mistake, stone tablets show just how advanced the Babylonians were in their time.

Sixty Years Ago, We Nearly Wiped Out Bed Bugs. Then, They Started Changing

Driven to the brink of extinction, bed bugs adapted—and now pesticides are almost useless against them.

LG’s $60,000 Transparent TV Is So Luxe It’s Practically Invisible

This TV screen vanishes at the push of a button.

Couple Finds Giant Teeth in Backyard Belonging to 13,000-year-old Mastodon

A New York couple stumble upon an ancient mastodon fossil beneath their lawn.