The James Webb Space Telescope: Revealing the Secrets of 19 Spiral Galaxies

Unveiling the Cosmic Masterpieces

The James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled a breathtaking collection of 19 spiral galaxies, each a celestial masterpiece adorned with millions of twinkling stars and radiant clouds of gas and dust.

The James Webb Space Telescope's shot of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A shows elaborate details visible for the first time.

The extraordinary detail captured by the Webb telescope offers a unique perspective on the intricate structure of these galaxies, revealing the intricate dance of stars, gas, and dust in dazzling near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths.

Spiral galaxies are a common cosmic sight, constituting approximately 60% of all galaxies. Our very own solar system resides within the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy, making the Webb's observations a crucial window into the enigmatic processes of star formation and the evolution of galaxies like our own.

Astronomical Insights and Collaborative Endeavors

The Webb telescope's observations of the 19 spiral galaxies were made possible as part of the PHANGS (Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS) project, a collaborative effort involving over 100 astronomers worldwide. The project integrates data from various telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the European Space Observatory's Very Large Telescopes MUSE instrument, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile.

By combining data from different telescopes across a wide range of light wavelengths, astronomers gain a comprehensive understanding of the galaxies' properties. The addition of Webb's infrared insights fills crucial observational gaps, providing unprecedented details that captivate and astonish researchers and enthusiasts alike.

This image shows both Webb (top left) and Hubble (bottom right) telescope observations of the galaxy NGC 4254.

Revelations in the Cosmic Symphony

The Webb telescope's observations delve deep into the heart of these spiral galaxies, revealing sparkling clusters of stars and the mesmerizing dance of dust and gas within their spiral arms. The images, captured in near-infrared and mid-infrared light, showcase the celestial ballet of stellar clusters and the nurturing embrace of gas and dust that fuel the birth of new stars.

This is the first image of Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, with an added black background to fit wider screens. It's the first direct visual evidence of the presence of this black hole. It was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an array which linked together eight existing radio observatories across the planet to form a single "Earth-sized" virtual telescope. The telescope is named after the event horizon, the boundary of the black hole beyond which no light can escape.   Although we cannot see the event horizon itself, because it cannot emit light, glowing gas orbiting around the black hole reveals a telltale signature: a dark central region (called a shadow) surrounded by a bright ring-like structure. The new view captures light bent by the powerful gravity of the black hole, which is four million times more massive than our Sun. The image of the Sgr A* black hole is an average of the different images the EHT Collaboration has extracted from its 2017 observations.  In addition to other facilities, the EHT network of radio observatories that made this image possible includes the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) in the Atacama Desert in Chile, co-owned and co-operated by ESO is a partner on behalf of its member states in Europe.

Moreover, the Webb telescope's keen eye uncovers intricate structures and voids within the galaxies, shedding light on their distribution of gas and dust. These revelations provide vital insights into the mechanisms of star formation and the evolution of galaxies, enriching our understanding of the cosmic symphony that unfolds across the universe.