Galaxy GS-NDG-9422 (imagen de Nircam)

Galaxy GS-NDG-9422 (imagen de Nircam)

Caption

Es posible que la galaxia GS-NDG-9422 haya pasado desapercibida. Sin embargo, lo que aparece como una leve mancha borrosa en esta imagen NIRCam (Cámara de Infrarrojo Cercano) del Telescopio Espacial James Webb puede en realidad ser un descubrimiento innovador que orienta a los astrónomos hacia un nuevo camino para comprender la evolución de las galaxias en el universo temprano. 

La información detallada sobre la composición química de la galaxia, captada por el instrumento NIRSpec (espectrógrafo de infrarrojo cercano) de Webb, indica que la luz que vemos en esta imagen proviene del el gas caliente de la galaxia, en lugar de sus estrellas. Ésta es la mejor explicación que los astrónomos han descubierto hasta ahora para explicar las características inesperadas del espectro de luz. Piensan que las estrellas de la galaxia son tan extremadamente calientes (más de 140.000 grados Fahrenheit u 80.000 grados Celsius) que están calentando el gas nebular, permitiéndole brillar incluso más que las propias estrellas. 

Los autores de un nuevo estudio sobre las observaciones de la galaxia realizadas por Webb creen que GS-NDG-9422 puede representar una fase nunca antes vista de la evolución de las galaxias en el universo temprano, dentro de los primeros mil millones de años después del Big Bang. Su tarea ahora es ver si pueden encontrar más galaxias que muestren las mismas características. 

Lea el comunicado de prensa completo. 

Créditos

Imagen

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Alex Cameron (Oxford)

Palabras clave

Image Details

About The Object
Object Name GS-NDG-9422, JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, GOODS-S
Object Description Nebular dominated galaxy
R.A. Position 03:32:36.89
Dec. Position -27:46:49.33
Constellation Fornax
Dimensions Image is about 3.7 arcminutes across
About The Data
Data Description This image was created with Webb data from proposal: (D. Eisenstein). Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI).
Instrument NIRCam
Exposure Dates 29 Sept. - 10 Oct. 2022
Filters F090W, F115W, F150W, F200W, F277W, F335M, F356W, F410M, F444W
About The Image
Color Info These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample wide wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are:   Blue: F090W + F115W + F150W Green: F200W + F277W + F335M Red: F356W + F410M + F444W
Compass and Scale Image A black background sprinkled with small, colorful galaxies in orange, blue, and white. On the left, a third of the way down from the top of the image, a very faint dot of a galaxy is outlined with a white square and pulled out in a graphic to be shown magnified. In the pullout square to the right, the galaxy is a hazy white dot edged in orange, with faint blue projections opposite each other at the 11 o’clock and 5 o’clock positions.
About The Object
Object Name A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
Object Description The type of astronomical object.
R.A. Position Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
Dec. Position Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
Constellation One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
Distance The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
Dimensions The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
About The Data
Data Description
  • Proposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
  • Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
Instrument The science instrument used to produce the data.
Exposure Dates The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
Filters The camera filters that were used in the science observations.
About The Image
Color Info A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.
Compass and Scale Image An astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

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