James Webb captured the image of a ‘ghost galaxy’

The James Webb Space Telescope continues to deliver stunningly sharp snapshots of the cosmos. This time, it is the galaxy M74 or “Phantom Galaxy”, in the infrared spectrum.

It only took one summer for the télescope spatial James Webb (JWST) already delivers a whole stock of sublime space photos – and relevant for scientists. Between the deep field of the Universe and the detection of CO2 in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, the JWST has been busy. But he also amazed us.

And he does it again in a shot shared by the European Space AgencyAugust 29, 2022. What do we see there?

Galaxy M74 across the spectrum, combining Hubble and James Webb. // Source: ESA

M74 has style

The photo taken by James Webb shows us the well-known galaxy M74 – for Messier 74. Discovered in 1780 by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain, it is located 32 million light-years from our planet, in the region corresponding to the Pisces constellation. It belongs to the category of spiral galaxies… luxury version: it is a “high-style spiral galaxy” (and yes, it really does exist). We owe this expression to the prominent and very defined arms.

It is also given a small nickname (especially in English) of “Galaxy Ghost” (Phantom Galaxy). The reason is simple: due to its low surface luminosity, amateur astronomers often have trouble spotting it.

James Webb brings his ‘sharp vision’

The galaxy has already been studied with other telescopes, such as Hubble. But the JWST was able to look at it with MIRI, an instrument capable of observing medium to long infrared radiation. ” The addition of crystal-clear Webb observations at longer wavelengths will allow astronomers to locate star-forming regions in galaxies, accurately measure the masses and ages of star clusters, and better understand the nature of the tiny dust grains that drift through interstellar space “, specifies the ESA.

Multi-observatory_views_of_M74_article
The various observations of M74 using Hubble, Hubble and Webb, and infrared only from Webb. // Source: ESA

« Webb’s keen vision revealed delicate filaments of gas and dust within M74’s grandiose spiral arms, which spiral outward from the center of the image. adds the ESA regarding the contribution of the JWST. ” The absence of gas in the nuclear region also allows for an unobstructed view of the star cluster at the center of the galaxy. »

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