(ORDO NEWS) — Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope are observing star formation, gas and dust in nearby galaxies at infrared wavelengths with unprecedented resolution.
The findings have produced an initial collection of 21 research papers that provide new insights into how some of the smallest processes in our universe influence the evolution of the largest objects in space.
The large-scale study of nearby galaxies in the first year of Webb’s scientific activity is carried out by the PHANGS collaboration, which involves more than 100 scientists from around the world.
The team is studying a diverse sample of 19 spiral galaxies. During the first few months of Webb’s science activity, observations of five of these objects M74, NGC 7496, IC 5332, NGC 1365, and NGC 1433 were made
. cavities and huge gas bubbles lining the spiral arms. In some observable regions of nearby galaxies, this network is built of both individual and overlapping shells and bubbles, where young stars release energy.
“Regions that are completely dark in Hubble images are illuminated in great detail in these new infrared images, allowing us to study how dust in the interstellar medium absorbed light from forming stars and radiated it back in infrared, illuminating a complex network of gas and dust,” said team member Karin Sandstrom of the University of California, San Diego.
The Webb’s powers allow it to pierce through the dust, connecting the missing pieces of the puzzle.
For example, certain wavelengths observed by MIRI (7.7 and 11.3 µm) and the near-infrared camera (3.3 µm) are sensitive to emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which play a critical role in the formation of stars and planets.
Studying these interactions at the smallest scale can help provide insight into the bigger picture of how galaxies have evolved over time.
The team’s initial findings, consisting of 21 separate studies.
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