The Cartwheel Galaxy is 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor.
Peering into the excitement of the Cartwheel galaxy, NASA’s James Webb Telescope has revealed new information about star formation and the galaxy’s central black hole. Against a backdrop of numerous other galaxies, Webb’s powerful infrared scope captured a beautiful image of the Cartwheel and two smaller companion galaxies. This image offers a new perspective on the galaxy’s evolution over billions of years, according to a NASA release.
The European Space Agency (ESA) shared images of the Cartwheel galaxy on its Twitter account on Tuesday and said: “Telescopes have studied the Cartwheel galaxy before, but our view was obscured by gas and dust. #Webb, with its infrared imaging capabilities, has revealed new insights into the nature of the galaxy.”
Telescopes have explored the Wheel galaxy before, but our view was obscured by gas and dust. #Webb, with its infrared imaging capabilities, has revealed new insights into the nature of the galaxy ???? (left: @HUBBLE_space 2010, right: @ESA_Webb 2022) pic.twitter.com/yC407vXPLP
— ESA (@esa) August 2, 2022
It is unusual to see the Cartwheel galaxy, which is 500 million light-years away, in the constellation Sculptor. This dramatic event is a high-speed collision between a large spiral galaxy and a smaller galaxy that is not visible in this image but gives it the appearance of a wagon wheel. The wheel is one of several other, smaller events that result from galactic-scale collisions between the galaxies involved, the space agency added.
In addition, the structure and geometry of the galaxy was significantly affected by the collision and consists of two rings – a brilliant inner ring and a vibrating outer ring. These two rings move away from the point of collision. The structure resembles ripples in a pond when a stone is thrown into it. Because of these distinctive features, astronomers call this galaxy a “ring galaxy,” a structure that is rarer than spiral galaxies like the Milky Way.
Huge young star clusters are seen in the brightest regions of the core, which also includes a huge amount of hot dust. On the other hand, star formation and supernovae dominate the outer ring, which has been growing for nearly 440 million years. This ring collides with the surrounding gas as it grows, causing stars to form, NASA said.
The wheel has been studied by other observatories in the past, including the Hubble Space Telescope. However, given the amount of dust blocking the view, the mysterious galaxy may actually be shrouded in mystery. The Webb Telescope is now revealing fresh information about Cartwheel’s nature due to its ability to detect infrared light.
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