The James Webb Space Telescope observed the “starburst” galaxy NGC 4449, seen in this image released on May 29, 2024.
Starbursts are intense periods of star formation usually concentrated at a galaxy’s core, but NGC 4449’s activity is much more widespread—likely due to past interactions with its galactic neighbors.
Astronomers can study this galaxy to look into the past: NGC 4449 is similar to early star-forming galaxies, which also grew by merging with other systems.
Citation:
Image: James Webb Space Telescope spots starburst galaxy (2024, May 30)
retrieved 31 May 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-05-image-james-webb-space-telescope.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.