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James Webb Takes Mysterious Infrared Images of Multiple Galaxies
The James Webb Space Telescope has been up and running for a little over a month and has already released several stunning photos and promising discoveries in its short time in space. Recently, Webb captured spooky infrared images of several galaxies that remind us Halloween is right around the corner.
Seen above is an image of NGC 628 (or M74), better known as the Phantom Galaxy. This image was taken by James Webb in infrared light, which is just past red on the electromagnetic spectrum. Webb was specially designed to be able to capture details in infrared that would otherwise be invisible to our eyes.
Below is an image of the Phantom Galaxy taken by the European Southern Observatory’s PESSTO (Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects). The infrared image taken by James Webb shows us the details of the gas and dust swirling around the galaxy that is hidden in visible light by the bright nuclei and stars of NGC 628.
The newest image of the Phantom Galaxy was posted by Judy Schmidt, who works on the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) Survey. PHANGS is one of the Treasury programs…
