Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have captured stunning images of the face-on barred spiral galaxy NGC 5068.
NGC 5068 is located approximately around 22 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo.
The galaxy was first discovered on March 10, 1785 by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
Otherwise known as ESO 576-29, LEDA 46400 and UGCA 345, it has a diameter over 45,000 light-years.
“This image of the central, bright star-forming regions of the galaxy is part of a campaign to create an astronomical treasure trove, a repository of observations of star formation in nearby galaxies,” Webb astronomers said.
“These observations are particularly valuable to us for two reasons.”
“The first is because star formation underpins so many fields in astronomy, from the physics of the tenuous plasma that lies between stars to the evolution of entire galaxies.”
“By observing the formation of stars in nearby galaxies, we hope to kick-start major scientific advances with some of the first available data from Webb.”
“The second reason is that Webb’s observations build on other studies using telescopes including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories.”
The astronomers used Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) to observe NGC 5068 and 18 other nearby star-forming galaxies.
They also analyzed Hubble images of 10,000 star clusters, spectroscopic mapping of 20,000 star-forming emission nebulae from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), and observations of 12,000 dark, dense molecular clouds identified by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
“With its ability to peer through the gas and dust enshrouding newborn stars, Webb is particularly well-suited to explore the processes governing star formation,” they explained.
“Stars and planetary systems are born amongst swirling clouds of gas and dust that are opaque to…
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