James Webb Telescope Captures Stunning Vortex In Space. See Pic

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a stellar new image of the Whirlpool galaxy NGC 5194, also known as M51, that is situated roughly 27 million light-years away from Earth and known for its stunning features.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), this galactic portrait is a composite image that integrates data from Webb's Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI).

In this image, the dark red regions trace the filamentary, warm dust permeating the medium of the galaxy. The red regions show the reprocessed light from complex molecules forming on dust grains, while colours of orange and yellow reveal the regions of ionised gas formed by the recently formed star clusters. Stellar feedback has a dramatic effect on the medium of the galaxy and creates complex networks of bright knots as well as cavernous black bubbles.

The European Space Agency further said M51, also known as NGC 5194, lies about 27 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici and is trapped in a tumultuous relationship with its near neighbour, the dwarf galaxy NGC 5195. The interaction between these two galaxies has made these galactic neighbours one of the better-studied galaxy pairs in the night sky.

The captivating visual masterpiece was made achievable solely by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is a large, powerful space observatory developed through collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It is designed to be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and is now exploring the universe at infrared wavelengths.