Title: Mysterious Question Mark Shape in Space Captures Attention of Internet Users
Subtitle: Experts Explain the Phenomenon as a Result of Pareidolia and Galaxy Merging
Date: [Insert Date]
By Caitlin O’Kane
The James Webb telescope has once again amazed scientists and captivated the public with another stunning image of space. However, this image, in particular, has caused a stir because it appears to feature a mysterious question mark shape floating among the stars. Social media users quickly caught on, sparking a debate and even questioning whether this could be a sign from aliens.
To shed light on this enigmatic phenomenon, CBS News reached out to Matt Caplan, an assistant physics professor at Illinois State University. Caplan, who holds a doctorate in the subject, explained that recognizing familiar shapes in space is not uncommon. He states, “You might be surprised how often things in space look like recognizable shapes. There are only so many simple shapes, and our brains are pretty good at pattern recognition, even when the pattern is meaningless.”
Caplan points to pareidolia, the tendency of the brain to perceive patterns where they may not exist. This psychological phenomenon is responsible for individuals seeing familiar shapes in clouds or hearing hidden messages in reversed songs. As Caplan explains, “The lower the resolution and the fuzzier the stimulus, the more the human brain tends to fill in.”
While the shape may appear as a question mark to our brains, it is crucial to note that it isn’t actually one. According to the Space Telescope Science Institute, our interpretation of the image is a result of our brains assigning meaning to the unfamiliar.
Caplan also posited a theory behind why a question mark shape would appear in space. He suggests that the telescope might have captured the merging of galaxies, a relatively common occurrence. As much as 10% to 25% of galaxies could be merging at any given time, Caplan reveals. Contrary to popular belief, galaxies are dynamic and constantly in motion due to the gravitational pull of nearby galaxies.
When galaxies merge, they fling stars and gas into long tidal tails that can look curved. In this case, the curved shape that resembles a question mark could be an example of such a tidal tail, explains Caplan.
Further insights came from Macarena Garcia Marin, a Webb project scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, who believes a galaxy merger is the most likely explanation for the image. Marin notes, “Looking at the image in detail, you can see two bright spots that could be the nuclei of the galaxies, and the rest of the structure would be the tidal tails resulting from the interaction process.”
Despite the excitement surrounding the question mark shape, Caplan encourages everyone to focus on the main takeaway: the image is the highest resolution image of HH 46/47, a star forming cloud, to date. Caplan humorously compares the question mark curiosity to an amusing finding in everyday life, saying, “About the question mark? That’s just an amusing curiosity. This entire story is the astronomy equivalent of ‘Local Man Finds Chicken Nugget Shaped Like George Washington.'”
While scientists continue to study this intriguing image, the public is reminded of the wonders that space holds and the constant surprises that lie within the universe.
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