Galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 (Webb MIRI image)

The James Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared image of galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 recalls the iciness of long-dead bones mixed with eerie vapours. Two large luminous ‘eyes’ lie at the galaxies’ cores, and gauzy spiral arms reach out into the vast distances of space.

Webb’s mid-infrared image excels at showing where the cold dust glows throughout these galaxies — and helps pinpoint where stars and star clusters are buried within the dust. Find these regions by looking for the pink dots along the spiral arms. Many of these areas are home to actively forming stars that are still encased in the gas and dust that feeds their growth. Other pink dots may be objects that lie well behind these galaxies, including extremely distant active supermassive black holes known as quasars.

The largest, brightest pink region that glimmers with eight prominent diffraction spikes at the bottom right is a mini starburst — a location where many stars are forming in quick succession. Find the lace-like holes in the spiral arms. These areas are brimming with star formation.

Finally, scan the black background of space, where objects shine brightly in a rainbow of colours. Blue circles with tiny diffraction spikes are foreground stars. Objects without spikes are very distant galaxies.

[Image description: Two spiral galaxies take up almost the entire view and appear to be overlapping. They are angled from top left to bottom right. The galaxy at left, IC 2163, is smaller and more compact than the galaxy at right, NGC 2207. The background of space is black, dotted with tiny foreground stars and extremely distant galaxies.]

Credit:

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

About the Image

Id:heic2414b
Type:Observation
Release date:31 October 2024, 15:00
Related releases:heic2414
Size:2538 x 1944 px

About the Object

Name:IC 2163, NGC 2207
Distance:110 million light years
Constellation:Canis Major
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

r.titleLarge JPEG
1.4 MB
r.titleScreensize JPEG
235.1 KB

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Coordinates

Position (RA):6 16 24.32
Position (Dec):-21° 22' 21.84"
Field of view:4.68 x 3.59 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 49.9° right of vertical


Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Infrared
PAH
7.7 μmJames Webb Space Telescope
MIRI
Infrared
PAH
11 μmJames Webb Space Telescope
MIRI
Infrared15 μmJames Webb Space Telescope
MIRI
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