2024-07-16 03:45:00
Washington: The James Webb Space Telescope has sent a stunning picture from space on the occasion of its second anniversary. It has captured a stunning new view of two galaxies named Penguin and Egg. The James Webb Space Telescope was launched on 25 December 2021. The Webb telescope shared its first scientific observation of the universe on 12 July 2022. Since then it has captured many infrared light, which are invisible to human eyes. James Webb is the world’s most powerful telescope. This telescope is so powerful that it is able to see distant galaxies through gas and dust, detect molecules in the atmosphere of exoplanets and uncover fine details inside the explosions of stars. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement, ‘Webb’s capabilities are shedding new light on our celestial surroundings with remarkable pictures from almost the earliest times from the corners of the universe and inspiring the coming generation of scientists, astronomers and explorers.’
picture taken like this
The telescope used its scientific instruments to combine observations from both near-infrared and mid-infrared to create a detailed image of the linked Penguin and Egg galaxies, collectively called Arp 142. They were named so because of their resemblance to penguins guarding eggs. The two galaxies are 326 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Hydra. That means it would take 326 million years for light to reach Earth from here.
Both galaxies will collide
The Webb telescope’s near-infrared camera and mid-infrared instrument reveal a blue haze, representing a mix of stars and gas, showing how the galaxies connect. The two galaxies are separated by 100,000 light-years, which is astronomically close. To illustrate, the closest galaxy to our Milky Way Galaxy is Andromeda, which is 2.5 million light-years away. The two are expected to collide in about 4 billion years. Astronomers estimate that the Penguin and Egg galaxies first made contact between 25 and 75 million years ago. Since then, their cosmic dance has continued. They orbit each other. They will merge into each other after millions of years.