The world's most powerful space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope , and its still-operating predecessor , Hubble , are teaming up to give us more insight into the heart of the Phantom Galaxy . Specifically, scientists have combined data from the two telescopes to create spectacular new images of the spiral Phantom Galaxy , about 32 million light-years from Earth.
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The European Space Agency (ESA) shared a combined telescopic view of the Phantom Galaxy in an image released Monday. The galaxy, also known as Messier 74 or M74, is located in the constellation Pisces and is a cover model among spiral galaxies. It is known for its well-defined curved arms, which are featured in an image that combines the properties of the Webb and Hubble instruments.
ESA has shown what images taken by the James Webb and Hubble telescopes separately, but also what can be learned by combining the two. “Adding Webb’s observations at longer wavelengths will allow astronomers to pinpoint star-forming regions in galaxies, precisely measure the masses and ages of star clusters, and gain insights into the nature of tiny dust grains drifting through space,” the space agency said.
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The colors in the combined image show different features of the Phantom Galaxy. The red is dust in the spiral arms, with the orange areas indicating hotter dust. Young stars glow blue. Older stars near the center glow green and blue, creating the galaxy's "ghostly glow." The pink hot spots are places where stars are forming.
James Webb and Hubble provide stunning images of the Phantom Galaxy
In July, we got a preview of what James Webb sees in the Phantom Galaxy. That's when astronomers got their hands on the first Webb datasets.
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Hubble is a joint project of NASA and ESA, while James Webb is managed by NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency. The agencies have long said that Webb will not serve as a replacement for Hubble, which is more than 30 years old. The two telescopes have different properties, and Hubble could continue to operate until the late 2020s.
The combination of the two space telescopes could offer astronomers much more insight into the mysteries of space.
Source: www.cnet.com
