The National Aeronautics and Space Administration keeps sharing astonishing images from space. The US space agency recently shared a mind-boggling image showing two interacting galaxies forming a figure similar to a penguin and egg in space. The image was shared on the occasion of the second science anniversary of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is one of the high-definition telescopes which takes constant observations from space, including images and highly detailed data called spectra. Several images, which are processed with the data provided by the James Webb Space Telescope, have received significant applaud from netizens.
Penguin and egg in space
The vague figure, similar to a penguin, is a distorted spiral galaxy located millions of light years away from Earth. The spiral galaxy is affected by the gravitational pull of another galaxy located next to it. This galaxy appears in the form of an egg. The near and mid-infrared image combines data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument).
The interacting galaxies are known jointly as Arp 142. According to the US space agency, they made their first pass by one another between 25 and 75 million years ago, causing “fireworks,” or new star formation, in the Penguin. Both galaxies have the same mass, which is why one hasn’t consumed another.
What are interacting galaxies?
According to the American Museum of Natural History, when galaxies pass close to each other or collide, their shapes are distorted due to mutual gravity pull. Due to this phenomenon, they are termed interacting galaxies.
Internet reaction to ‘Penguin and egg’ image
Several social media users expressed happiness and surprise at the new image shared by NASA.
“That is amazing. Thank you for posting. The universe is magnificent,” commented a social media user on the photo shared by NASA.
“Amazing but I am in disbelief because how to pinpoint two galaxies out of over two trillion galaxies which are separated by megaparsecs,” wrote another user.
“The bird of space looks even cooler.”
“Thank you for miracle and beautiful pictures from space.”
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Published: 15 Jul 2024, 03:11 PM IST