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Jwst Feed @jwstfeed.bsky.social · 09/06/2024

Stunning view of the Antennae Galaxies, as observed by JWST and processed by @thocarp.bsky.social www.flickr.com/photos/19746... 🔭 🧪

This breathtaking image from the James Webb Space Telescope showcases the Antennae Galaxies, a pair of interacting galaxies located approximately 65 million light-years away in the constellation Corvus. The galaxies are named for their long, antenna-like tidal tails, which are visible in the image as wispy blue extensions. These tails are composed of gas, dust, and young stars ripped from the galaxies during their gravitational encounter. The Webb telescope’s powerful infrared gaze penetrates the dust, revealing regions of intense star formation within the galaxies’ cores. The pink and red hues highlight the glowing gas energized by the newborn stars. This spectacular image provides astronomers with unprecedented detail to study the starburst phase triggered by the collision and the formation of new stellar populations within the Antennae Galaxies.