The James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory teamed up on observations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The photograph, informally dubbed the “web of chaos” by astronomers, combines data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The image showcases two galaxies in the midst of a collision, with their spiral arms intertwining and bending toward the cores of their neighbors, as reported by Live Science.
This stunning dual portrait of the galaxies NGC 2207 (bottom right) and IC 2163 (top left), which are involved in a “cosmic accident,” combines multiple wavelengths of light. It was made possible by combining infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope with X-ray data from Chandra. The image conveys the colors and shapes of these massive, gravitationally bound systems, each rotating around its center of mass.
What else is known about this image?
The galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 are slowly merging, and we happen to observe the merger head-on from the Solar System. The larger galaxy, NGC 2207, dominates the field of view, while the smaller IC 2163 overlaps its outer regions. The gravitational pull of each galaxy distorts the spiral arms of its neighbor, stretching streams of stars and gas and compressing gas and dust, which can trigger new star formation. The result is a complex and enchanting web of chaos.
NASA says one of JWST’s primary goals is to help scientists better understand the centers of merging galaxies and to inform a new generation of models that describe galaxy interactions and mergers. The galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 are ideal targets for that work.
In the image, JWST data in the mid-infrared range is shown in white, gray, and red, highlighting dust and cooler material in the galaxies’ cores and spiral arms. X-ray data from Chandra appears in blue, marking high-energy regions of the two galaxies—binary stars, remnants of dead stars, and spots where supernovae have occurred.
This multi-layered photo of NGC 2207 and IC 2163 is one of four complex images recently obtained with the Chandra telescope and released together. The other three images show the star-forming region NGC 6334, known for its arcs of gas and dust; the supernova remnant G272.2-0.3, where hot X-ray gas fills an expanding shell; and the star system R Aquarii, where a white dwarf is siphoning material from a red giant.
