In this image, NIRCam data are colored blue, orange, and yellow. This is because young stars, many of which are forming in the outer ring, are less obscured by the presence of dust when observed in infrared light.

The Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), Webb’s primary imager, looks in the near-infrared range from 0.6 to 5 microns, seeing crucial wavelengths of light that can reveal even more stars than observed in visible light. Webb, with its ability to detect infrared light, now uncovers new insights into the nature of the Cartwheel.Ĭredits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team But the dramatic galaxy has been shrouded in mystery – perhaps literally, given the amount of dust that obscures the view. Other telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, have previously examined the Cartwheel. As this ring expands, it plows into surrounding gas and triggers star formation. On the other hand, the outer ring, which has expanded for about 440 million years, is dominated by star formation and supernovas. The bright core contains a tremendous amount of hot dust with the brightest areas being the home to gigantic young star clusters. Because of these distinctive features, astronomers call this a “ring galaxy,” a structure less common than spiral galaxies like our Milky Way. These two rings expand outwards from the center of the collision, like ripples in a pond after a stone is tossed into it. The Cartwheel Galaxy sports two rings - a bright inner ring and a surrounding, colorful ring. The collision most notably affected the galaxy’s shape and structure.

Collisions of galactic proportions cause a cascade of different, smaller events between the galaxies involved the Cartwheel is no exception. Its appearance, much like that of the wheel of a wagon, is the result of an intense event – a high-speed collision between a large spiral galaxy and a smaller galaxy not visible in this image. The Cartwheel Galaxy, located about 500 million light-years away in the Sculptor constellation, is a rare sight. This image provides a new view of how the Cartwheel Galaxy has changed over billions of years.

Webb’s powerful infrared gaze produced this detailed image of the Cartwheel and two smaller companion galaxies against a backdrop of many other galaxies. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has peered into the chaos of the Cartwheel Galaxy, revealing new details about star formation and the galaxy’s central black hole. Download the full-resolution, uncompressed version and supporting visuals from the Space Telescope Science Institute

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