Penguin and Egg - Galaxies - James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes Comparison
Let’s toast to in-depth views of the universe! In honor of the James Webb Space Telescope’s second year of science, NASA has released a near-infrared image of the Penguin and the Egg, and matched it up to the Hubble Space Telescope’s visible-light view.
In Webb’s image, a faint upside-down U-shaped haze joins the pair of galaxies. This is a combination of stars, gas, and dust that continues to mix as the galaxies mingle. In Hubble’s view, notice the clearer gap between the Penguin’s “beak” and the top of the Egg.
Hubble’s image spotlights a dark brown dust lane, which begins across the Penguin’s “beak” and extends through its body and along its back. In Webb’s near-infrared view, this dust lane is significantly fainter.
The Egg itself looks similar in both images, but in Webb’s view, the galaxy shines so brightly that it causes X-shaped diffraction spikes to slightly extend its gleam.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.
#NASAWebb #UnfoldTheUniverse #duo #egg #penguin #InteractingGalaxies #BetterTogether #compare #JWST #astronomy #galaxies #anniversary #Webb #webbtelescope #webbspacetelescope #hubble #hubbletelescope #hubblespacetelescope #shorts #comparison