NASA provided space enthusiasts with four breathtaking images of two galaxies, a star cluster, and a nebula, courtesy of data garnered by its cutting-edge observatories.
Using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the Hubble Space Telescope, the space agency was able to capture the marvels of the cosmos with exquisite clarity.
NASA introduced the photographs with an allusion to the British reality television program ‘Love Island’ by tweeting, “Hot new bombshells enter the villa.
Otherwise, invisible to the naked eye, infrared data from @NASAWebb and x-ray data from @ChandraXray map the data to hues that humans can perceive to reveal details in these cosmic marvels.”
What do the images of the cosmos depict?
The two galaxies visible in the images are designated as NGC 1672 and M74. In contrast to the former, which is approximately 60 million light-years from Earth and contains “barred” arms of stars near its center, the latter is 32 million light-years away.
The spiral galaxy M74 is comparable to the Milky Way. It is also known as the Phantom Galaxy due to its physical characteristics, which include faint light emission and a lattice-like structure.
Another image displays the M16. Known as the Eagle Nebula, its distance is approximately 6,500 light years. The image depicts the “Pillars of Creation” of the nebula, which are large concentrations of gas and dust containing newborn stars. The stars appear to shimmer in pink and purple hues.
Saturday’s Twitter post has received over one million views and a number of comments. One user reacted to the cosmic spectacle by writing, “So beautiful.” “Fascinating & Beautiful,” wrote another user, while a third added, “The Universe is an artistic genius.”