Provided by the European Space Agency, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and A. Leroy
The beautiful and mystifying spiral galaxy "NGC 5134." The James Webb Space Telescope, a joint project of the U.S., Europe, and Canada, has captured dust clouds accompanying the gas that spreads along the spiral arms in red using mid-infrared light. Concurrently, it has captured the numerous stars and star clusters within the arms in a faint blue using near-infrared light.
Most stars shine through nuclear fusion reactions, initially synthesizing helium from hydrogen, followed by helium reactions, to synthesize various other elements. How a star subsequently ends its life depends on its mass. Small stars, ranging from about half to eight times the mass of the Sun, pass through a red giant phase. Once their helium is exhausted, their gas expands to become a planetary nebula. At the center, a cold white dwarf contracted by gravity is left behind. Giant stars with more than eight times the mass of the Sun die dramatically by triggering a supernova explosion.
The gas released by these dying stars is then reused to form new stars. This image captures the very site of this cosmic reincarnation.
NGC 5134 is located in the constellation Virgo at a distance of 65 million light-years from Earth. Within the universe, it is relatively close to Earth and easy for us to observe. Researchers note that by closely observing nearby galaxies to examine the state of stars and gas in detail, the insights gained can be applied to the study of distant galaxies as well.
Original article was provided by the Science Portal and has been translated by Science Japan.