This week we delve deeper into the cosmos with a special image of Arp 107, two merging galaxies that, to our surprise, form an almost joyful “smile” in space. These stunning images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveal not only the scale of this galactic collision, but also its impact on star formation and the complex structures within galaxies.
Arp 107 consists of two galaxies – a large Seyfert spiral galaxy and a smaller elliptical galaxy – located about 465 million light-years away, in the constellation Little Lion (Little Lion)Their dramatic collision, captured by the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), reveals a rare and beautiful cosmic event.
The composite image, created using data from both instruments, clearly shows how stars and gas from both galaxies form a thin, bridge-like structure. Infrared light, shown in white, reveals the bright, old stars in both systems. Additionally, red and orange show young stars and regions of active star formation, which, together with the background stars, create an almost smiley-faced expression:
A look at young stars and a supermassive black hole
Although the collision causes chaos, it also spurs the birth of new stars. In particular, the MIRI image, which shows mid-infrared data, highlights the vast number of young stars forming in the spiral galaxy. These stars, shown in blue, are surrounded by dust grains and organic molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are typically associated with star-forming regions.
MIRI also reveals the supermassive black hole at the center of the spiral galaxy. This black hole is responsible for creating dust lanes around itself and producing the distinctive diffraction peaks (starburst effect) seen in the Webb images. Despite the collision, the spiral galaxy has largely retained its structure, except for the recognizable spiral arms, which are almost completely gone.
Video tour of Arp 107
This video takes you on a journey through Arp 107, two galaxies that collided hundreds of millions of years ago. We begin and end with a new mid- and near-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope. During the tour, the image fades into Webb’s mid-infrared view, which captures the ongoing merger of these galaxies:
The merger of these two galaxies has just begun and will continue for hundreds of millions of years. Although galactic collisions may seem chaotic, they often play a crucial role in the formation of new stars. These images from Arp 107 give us a unique glimpse into how the universe is constantly rearranging and renewing itself.
Click here To view a high-resolution image of the Arp 107 composite image.
In recent decades, space telescopes and satellites have captured beautiful images of nebulae, galaxies, stellar nurseries, and planets. Every weekend, we take a great space image from the archives. Enjoy all the images? See them on this page.
