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'Blood-Soaked' Eyes: NASA's Webb, Hubble Examine Galaxy Pair

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October 31, 2024 10:00AM (EDT)Release ID: 2024-136
Two spiral galaxies take the shape of a colorful beaded mask that sits above the nose. The galaxy at left, IC 2163, appears slightly smaller in this tightly cropped view. The galaxy at right, NGC 2207, takes up more of the view. IC 2163 has a bright orange core, with two prominent spiral arms that rotate counter clockwise and become straighter towards the ends. Its arms are a mix of pink, white, and blue, with an area that takes the shape of an eyelid appearing whitest. NGC 2207 has a very bright core. Overall, it appears to have larger, thicker spiral arms that spin counter clockwise. This galaxy also contains more and larger blue areas of star formation that poke out like holes from the pink spiral arms. In the middle, the galaxies’ arms appear to overlap. The edges show the black background of space.

Summary

By teaming up, these two space telescopes have delivered the highest resolution image of IC 2163 and NGC 2207 to date in a combination of mid-infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light.

This ghastly galactic "countenance" recalls mythological human-hunters like the Algonquian wendigo — an emaciated figure with ashen flesh and glowing eyes that grows larger and larger as it feasts, and is never satiated.

But this image, captured by the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes, isn’t a case of galactic cannibalism — at least, not yet.

The smaller galaxy to the left, IC 2163, has "slithered" behind the larger one at right, NGC 2207, millions of years ago. Though we can’t wait around for millions of years to see what may happen next, researchers can use this crisp combination of mid-infrared light from Webb, and ultraviolet and visible light from Hubble to learn more about the pair, and improve models that may preview the galaxies’ upcoming "thrills."

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News releases highlighting the discoveries of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are produced for NASA by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, under NASA Contract NAS5-03127. News release content is developed by the News Team in STScI’s Office of Public Outreach.

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