Interacting Galaxies Arp 142 (MIRI Image)

Interacting Galaxies Arp 142 (MIRI Image)

Webb’s mid-infrared view of interacting galaxies Arp 142 seems to sing in primary colors. The background of space is like a yawning darkness speckled with bright, multi-colored beads.

This image was taken by MIRI, the telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument, which astronomers use to study cooler and older objects, dust, and extremely distant galaxies.

Here, the Egg appears as an exceptionally small teal oval with gauzy layers. Mid-infrared light predominantly shows the oldest stars in the elliptical galaxy, which has lost or used up most of its gas and dust. This is why the view is so different from the combined image, which includes near-infrared light.

At right, the Penguin’s shape is relatively unchanged. The MIRI image shows all the gas and dust that has been distorted and stretched, as well as the smoke-like material, in blue, that includes carbon-containing molecules, known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Next, look for the edge-on galaxy cataloged PGC 1237172 at the top right — a dim, hazy line. Find it by looking for the bright blue star with small diffraction spikes positioned over the top of its left edge. This galaxy nearly disappears in mid-infrared light because its stars are very young and the galaxy isn’t overflowing with dust.

Now, scan the full image left to right to spot distant galaxies in the background. The red objects are encased in thick layers of dust. Some are spiral galaxies and others are more distant galaxies that can only be detected as dots or smudges. Green galaxies are laden with dust and are farther away. Bluer galaxies are closer. Zoom in carefully to see if a blue dot has miniscule diffraction spikes — those are stars, not galaxies.

Credits

Image

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

About The Object
Object Name Arp 142, NGC 2396/2397
Object Description Interacting Galaxies
R.A. Position 09:37:43.09
Dec. Position 02:45:47.01
Constellation Hydra
Distance 326 million light-years
Dimensions Image is about 3.4 arcmin across (about 322,000 light-years)
About The Data
Data Description This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 6564 (M. Marin); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
Instrument MIRI
Exposure Dates May 6, 2024
Filters F770W, F1000W, F1500W
About The Image
Color Info These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the MIRI instrument. Several filters were used to sample narrow and broad 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: Red: F1500W Green: F1000W Blue: F770W.
Compass Image Two interacting galaxies known as Arp 142 in a horizontal image taken in mid-infrared light. At left is NGC 2937, an elliptical galaxy that looks like a tiny teal oval and is nicknamed the Egg. At right is NGC 2936, a distorted spiral galaxy nicknamed the Penguin, which is significantly larger. A beak-like region points toward the Egg, but lies far above it. Where the eye would be is an opaque, almost washed-out pink spiral. This galaxy’s distorted pink, purple, and blue arms create the bird’s beak, back, and tail. The tail, which is closer to the Egg, is wide and layered, like a beta fish’s tail. The Penguin and the Egg appear very separate. The galaxy at top right, PGC 1237172, is barely visible. A brighter slightly larger blue foreground star that is over top of this galaxy has tiny diffraction spikes. Throughout the image are tiny galaxies in bright reds, greens, and blues. The background of space is black.
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
Image Credit The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content.
Publication Date The date and time the release content became public.
Color Info A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.
Orientation The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere.

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