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Scientists are getting their first look with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s powerful resolution how the formation of young stars influences the evolution of nearby galaxies. NGC 1365, observed here by Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is one of a total of 19 galaxies targeted for study by the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby Galaxies (PHANGS) collaboration. In the MIRI observations of NGC 1365, clumps of dust and gas in the interstellar medium has absorbed the light from forming stars and emitted it back out in the infrared, lighting up an intricate network of cavernous bubbles and filamentary shells influenced by young stars releasing energy into the galaxy’s spiral arms. The exquisite resolution from Webb also picks up several extremely bright star clusters not far from the core and newly observed recently formed clusters along the outer edges of the spiral arms. Additionally, the Webb images provide insights into how the orbits of stars and gas vary depending on where they form, and how this results in the population of older clusters outside the inner star-formation ring. NGC 1365 is a double barred spiral galaxy that lies about 56 million light years away from Earth. It’s one of the largest galaxies currently known to astronomers, spanning twice the length of the Milky Way across. MIRI was contributed by ESA and NASA, with the instrument designed and built by a consortium of nationally funded European Institutes (The MIRI European Consortium) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in partnership with the University of Arizona.

Audience

Educators

Grade Levels

Informal Education

Subject

Space Science, Astronomy

Type

Lesson Plans / Activities

Explore the night sky with a different theme each month. Each of the 12 guides contains a story about the month’s theme, a feature of the night sky to observe, one or more activities, and a connection to NASA science. Each guide explores a monthly theme to help you enjoy the night sky with family and friends.
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