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Astronomers perplexed by new James Webb Space Telescope photos unveiling secrets of a galaxy 11 million lig...
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured detailed images of Centaurus A (NGC 5128), a galaxy 11 million light-years away, revealing new structural details previously obscured by cosmic dust.
- Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) can penetrate hazy space gases, exposing the galaxy's inner features and allowing astronomers to study its "galactic archaeology."
- A notable discovery is a "warped" parallelogram-shaped band of light filled with stars across the galaxy's center, possibly resulting from a cosmic collision billions of years ago.
- Using spectroscopy instruments aboard JWST, researchers are investigating how the central black hole affects star formation by both compressing gas and expelling material, though the full dynamics remain complex and not fully understood.
- The new JWST images have enabled astronomers to trace dust, identify millions of stars, and observe gas movements in unprecedented detail, providing valuable insights into the galaxy's cosmic history.
