Key takeaways:
- NASA has released a stunning image of two galaxies merging 250 million light-years away in the constellation of Serpens.
- The collision of the two spiral galaxies began about 700 million years ago and has sparked an enormous burst of star formation.
- The James Webb Space Telescope was launched in October 2018 and is the world’s most powerful space telescope.
NASA has released a stunning new image of two galaxies merging 250 million light-years away in the constellation of Serpens. The image was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope and shows an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy, dubbed Arp 220, at the center of the image.
NASA scientists say the collision of the two spiral galaxies began about 700 million years ago and has sparked an enormous burst of star formation. The luminosity of the two galaxies combined is the equivalent of more than 1 trillion suns, which is much brighter than the Milky Way galaxy, which has a luminosity of 10 billion suns.
The amount of gas in the merging galaxies is equal to all of the gas in the entire Milky Way galaxy. This has resulted in a bright burst of star formation, which is visible in the image.
The James Webb Space Telescope was launched in October 2018 and is the world’s most powerful space telescope. It is designed to observe the most distant objects in the universe and to study the formation of stars and galaxies.
The new image of Arp 220 is a testament to the power of the telescope and the beauty of the universe. It is a reminder of the incredible forces at work in the cosmos and the ongoing process of star formation.
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