The images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope reveal two galaxies slowly merging in a misty haze of stars and gas, reminiscent of a penguin cradling an egg for protection.
On July 12, NASA announced two photos taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, showcasing two galaxies “Penguin” and “Egg” currently in the process of merging.
James Webb Telescope captures merging galaxies – (Photo: REUTERS).
The release of these images commemorates the two-year anniversary of NASA unveiling the first scientific results from this space observatory.
The galaxies “Penguin” and “Egg” are located 326 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Hydra. Upon merging, they are collectively known as Arp 142.
The “Penguin” galaxy, officially designated as NGC 2936, is a spiral galaxy, while the “Egg” galaxy, named for its elliptical shape, is officially classified as NGC 2937.
The images captured by James Webb show the two galaxies slowly intertwining in a hazy mist of stars and gas, similar to a penguin protecting its egg.
According to NASA, the interaction between these two galaxies began 25 to 75 million years ago, and the merging process into a single galaxy will not be complete for several hundred million years.
Launched after the Hubble Telescope, Webb was designed with numerous advanced capabilities. Webb observes the universe primarily in the infrared spectrum, while Hubble has mainly focused on optical and ultraviolet wavelengths.
