Spiral galaxy’s brilliant heart shines bright in a new picture from NASA’s Webb telescope
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The bright heart of a spiral galaxy dwarfs everything visible in a new image taken by NASA’s Webb Space Telescope.
The image released this week depicts the galaxy Messier 77, 45 million light years away, in the constellation Cetus, or Whale. One light year is approximately 6 trillion kilometers.
The galaxy’s active core is powered by a supermassive black hole 8 million times more massive than the sun. The surrounding gas is drawn into a tight orbit around the black hole, becoming so hot that it radiates extremely. Webb’s mid-infrared instrument captured the stunning detail.
The world’s largest and most powerful space telescope has been photographing the cosmos since its launch in 2021.
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