A fresh image based on brand-new deep-space data appears to show a wormhole
spinning before our very eyes.
The appropriately named "Phantom Galaxy" glows eerily in a new image by Judy
Schmidt based on James Webb Space Telescope data collected nearly a million
miles away from our planet using the observatory's mid-infrared instrument
(MIRI).
"I've been doing this for 10 years now, and [Webb] data is new, different,
and exciting," Schmidt told Space.com. "Of course I'm going to make
something with it."
The image highlights the dust lanes in the galaxy, which is more properly
known as NGC 628 or Messier 74. Dubbed the "perfect spiral" by some
astronomers because the galaxy is so symmetrical, the Phantom Galaxy is
scientifically interesting because of the intermediate-mass black hole
scientists believe is embedded at its heart.
The galaxy has been imaged professionally many times before, including by
space observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Wide-field
Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). What makes Webb imagery stand apart from
these past efforts is the mid-infrared range that highlights cosmic dust,
along with the power of its unique 18-segment hexagonal mirror and
deep-space location.
Webb observed M74 earlier this week. The data was also shared on Twitter (with different filtration) by Gabriel Brammer, an
astronomer at the Cosmic Dawn Center in the Niels Bohr Institute at the
University of Denmark.
A selected of raw Webb imagery is made publicly available at this portal a few hours or days after observations, and amateur
imagers and scientists are free to use the data as long as they credit the
source when publishing.
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| The Phantom Galaxy, also known as Messier 74 or NGC 628, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration) |
The busy deep-space telescope released its first operational images on July
12 of deep-space objects, including a nebula and a view of very young
galaxies. An infrared view of Jupiter, along with the gas giant's moons and
rings, joined the iconic new images on July 14.
That week's work alone showcases Webb's flexibility in switching between
faraway objects near the cosmic dawn — when stars began shining — and solar
system objects much closer to its viewfinder.
As for the Phantom Galaxy, Schmidt used Photoshop and FITS Liberator for
most of the work and said many of the concepts in her 2017 YouTube imaging tutorial will help with the more advanced software of
today.
You can check out more spectacular imagery of Webb photos and other cosmic
objects at Schmidt's Flickr page
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Space & Astrophysics