The James Webb Space Telescope has peered through time and space to capture a new image of the Cartwheel Galaxy, revealing a rotating ring of color in unprecedented clarity.
Located about 500 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Sculptor, the Chariot took its shape during a likely spectacular head-on collision between two galaxies.
The impact sent two rings spreading out from the center of the galaxy "like ripples in a pond after a stone is thrown into it," NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a joint statement.
The smaller white ring remains near the center of the galaxy, while the outer ring, with its colored rays, has been expanding into space for about 440 million years, the statement added.
As the outer ring expands, it encounters clouds of gas, fueling the formation of new stars.
Hubble has already taken images of a rare ringed galaxy that is thought to have been a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way before it was hit by a smaller interloper galaxy.
But the Webb Telescope, which launched in December 2021 and revealed its first images to worldwide fanfare last month, has a much larger reach.
Infrared waves whip the dust
Webb's ability to detect infrared light allowed him to see through the "vast amount of hot dust" that obscures the view of the Cartwheel galaxy, NASA and ESA said.
This revealed new details about star formation in the galaxy, as well as the behavior of the supermassive black hole at its heart, they said.
The space telescope was also able to detect regions rich in hydrocarbons and other chemicals.
Two smaller spiral galaxies shine brightly behind the Voz wheel, and even more star clusters can be seen behind them.
The observations show that the Cartwheel galaxy is still in a "very transitional phase," space agencies said.
"While Webb gives us a snapshot of Cartwheel's current state, it also provides insight into what has happened to this galaxy in the past and how it will evolve in the future."
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