NASA has released a stunning image snapped by the James Webb Space Telescope of the Milky Way-sized spiral galaxy NGC 3256.
NGC 3256 lies approximately 131 million light-years away in the constellation of Vela.
Also known as ESO 263-38, LEDA 30785 or IRAS 10257-4338, this galaxy is approximately the same size as the Milky Way and is a member of the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster complex.
NGC 3256 is the relic of a collision between two smaller spiral galaxies, estimated to have occurred 500 million years ago.
It still bears the marks of its tumultuous past in the extended luminous tails that sprawl out around the galaxy.
“The tumultuous past of NGC 3256 is captured in the long tendrils of shining dust and stars which extend outwards from the main body of the galaxy,” Webb astronomers said.
“The striking red and orange regions spread across the galaxy contain young stars created in the merger that are irradiating small dust grains, which then emit infrared light that is captured in astonishing detail by Webb’s instruments.”
“Further out, there are extended tidal features, which are mostly stars pulled out of the galaxies when they collided.”
“If you were asked to picture a galaxy collision, you might picture stars careening into one another with catastrophically explosive results,” they said.
“In reality, the spaces between the stars in a galaxy are vast. When galaxies collide, their clouds of stars pass through one another and mingle like two clouds of smoke.”
“The gas and dust in colliding galaxies does interact, however, and with spectacular results.”
Previous observations of NGC 3256 with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope revealed this cosmic collision at visible wavelengths.
The new image contains data from Webb’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), which capture the galaxy in stunning detail at infrared wavelengths.
“The galactic collision that created NGC 3256 triggered a luminous burst of…
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