麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Webb telescope witnesses dazzling burst of star formation

Shining like a brilliant beacon amidst a sea of galaxies, Arp 220 lights up the night sky in this view from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

Shining like a brilliant beacon amidst a sea of galaxies, Arp 220 lights up the night sky in this view from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI
Share

A brilliant starburst feature shines in the latest image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The space observatory captured a bright burst of star formation triggered by two spiral galaxies crashing into one another.

The colliding galaxies, known collectively as Arp 220, generated an infrared glow that contains the light of more than 1 trillion suns. For comparison, the Milky Way galaxy has a luminosity that is the equivalent of about 10 billion suns.

The scintillating light show from the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy is the spiked starburst feature at the center of the new Webb image, which was released on Monday.

The telescope's Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument captured the composite image.

Arp 220 is located 250 million light-years away in the Serpens constellation, and it's the brightest of the three galactic mergers closest to Earth.

These two galaxies began colliding about 700 million years ago, and as the gas and dust combined, a tremendous flare of star birth began.

There are around 200 massive star clusters contained in a dusty region that stretches 5,000 light-years across, which is about 5% of the Milky Way's diameter. Yet there is enough gas in this small region, astronomically speaking, to replace all of the gas in the entire Milky Way.

Previous observations of this star-packed region from other telescopes have observed different features. Radio telescopes saw 100 supernova remnants within an area of less than 500 light-years, while the Hubble Space Telescope documented the cores of the two original galaxies existing 1,200 light-years apart.

Each galactic core has a rotating star-forming ring that releases the bright infrared light that the powerful Webb telescope is capable of viewing in great detail. This brilliant luminosity creates the diffraction spikes, or starburst feature witnessed by Webb.

The new Webb image also reveals tails, or material streaming away from the galaxies due to gravity, in blue, to indicate activity as the galaxies continue to collide. Meanwhile, reddish-orange streams and filaments of organic material can be seen across the merging galaxies.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province鈥檚 police watchdog.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.