螺旋星系NGC 4254的耀眼漩涡
It’s oh-so-easy to be mesmerized by this spiral galaxy. Follow its clearly defined arms, which are brimming with stars, to its center, where there may be old star clusters and – sometimes – active supermassive black holes. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope delivered highly detailed scenes of this and other nearby spiral galaxies in a combination of near- and mid-infrared light.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), and the PHANGS team
NGC 4254, a spiral galaxy, is resplendent in orange and blue in this Jan. 29, 2024, image from the James Webb Space Telescope. This is one of 19 nearby spiral galaxies recently imaged by the telescope as part of the long-standing Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) program supported by more than 150 astronomers worldwide.
Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera captured millions of stars in these images, which sparkle in blue tones, while the telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument data highlights glowing dust, showing us where it exists around and between stars.
Explore the intricacies of spiral galaxies in this deep dive.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), and the PHANGS team
很容易被这个螺旋星系迷住。沿着它清晰的布满恒星的臂状结构，到达它的中心，那里可能有古老的星团，有时还有活跃的超大质量黑洞。NASA的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜通过近红外光和中红外光的结合，提供了这个和其他近邻螺旋星系的非常详细的场景。
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), and the PHANGS team
在这张2024年1月29日由詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜拍摄的影像中，螺旋星系NGC 4254呈现出辉煌的橙色和蓝色。这是该望远镜最近拍摄的19个近邻螺旋星系之一，是全球150多名天文学家支持的近邻星系高角分辨率物理学（PHANGS）计划的一部分。
韦伯的近红外相机捕捉到了这些图像中数百万颗闪烁着蓝色调的恒星，而望远镜的中红外仪器数据突出了发光的尘埃，向我们展示了它存在于恒星周围和恒星之间的位置。
图片来源: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), and the PHANGS team