Arp 142 Visualization - James Webb Space Telescope
This visualization examines the three-dimensional structure of Arp 142, a pair of interacting galaxies nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg, as seen in near-infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope.
The Penguin, a spiral galaxy cataloged as NGC 2936, has passed by the Egg, an elliptical galaxy cataloged NGC 2937, seen at left.
During this gravitational encounter, the pancake-like shape of the spiral galaxy has become stretched and twisted. The stretched out lower part of the spiral galaxy looks like the body of a penguin, and the galaxy’s central bulge forms its eye. The far side of the Penguin has twisted to extend away from our point of view, producing what looks like a beak.
In contrast, the elliptical galaxy has been slightly elongated, producing the egg-like shape.
Examining these galaxy structures in three dimensions helps us better understand how galaxy encounters develop.
Credit: Visualization: Ralf Crawford, Joseph DePasquale, Christian Nieves, Joseph Olmsted, Alyssa Pagan, Frank Summers, Greg Bacon (Space Telescope Science Institute), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency.
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