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QUICK FACTS
What it’s: The spiral galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163
The place it’s: 120 million light-years away, within the constellation Canis Main
When it was shared: Dec. 1, 2025
Certainly one of JWST’s core duties, in response to NASA, is to supply scientists with a transparent view of the facilities of merging galaxies and thereby inform a brand new technology of fashions that may describe how galaxies work together and merge. NGC 2207 and IC 2163 are the proper targets.
Within the picture, JWST’s midinfrared knowledge seem in white, grey and pink, primarily displaying the mud and cooler materials throughout the galaxies’ cores and spiral arms. Chandra’s X-ray knowledge are proven in blue, highlighting high-energy areas of the 2 galaxies — binary stars, the remnants of lifeless stars, and areas the place supernovas have occurred.
The spectacular layered picture of NGC 2207 and IC 2163 is considered one of 4 Chandra-based composites that have been revealed on the similar time. The opposite three embody NGC 6334, a star-forming area recognized for its arcs of glowing fuel and mud; supernova remnant G272.2-0.3, the place sizzling X-ray-emitting fuel fills an increasing shell; and a star system known as R Aquarii, the place a white dwarf star sucks materials from a pink large star.
Every picture merges Chandra’s view of the high-energy universe with knowledge from JWST (launched in 2021), the Hubble Area Telescope (launched in 1990) and the Spitzer Area Telescope (energetic between 2003 and 2020), in addition to from ground-based telescopes.
For extra elegant area photographs, take a look at our Area Photograph of the Week archives.
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