The James Webb Space Telescope operates around the clock, frequently astonishing researchers with its highly detailed — and incredibly precise — infrared images and data. These wavelengths of light, which lie beyond what our eyes can see, were largely out of reach at this level of detail until Webb began taking science observations July 12, 2022 on behalf of astronomers worldwide.

To honor its second anniversary of science, the telescope observed Arp 142, an interacting galaxy pair nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg. The main image combines near- and mid-infrared light, which visually underscores how the galaxies are interacting — look for the faint upside-down blue U shape that envelops both galaxies — along with a “star party,” an abundance of recent star formation, in the Penguin.

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