James Webb Captures 76,900-Light-Year Slice of Whirlpool Galaxy 31 Million Light-Years Away
Updated
Updated · Space.com · May 13
James Webb Captures 76,900-Light-Year Slice of Whirlpool Galaxy 31 Million Light-Years Away
3 articles · Updated · Space.com · May 13
NASA released a new James Webb Space Telescope image showing part of the Whirlpool Galaxy, or M51, in a sharply detailed near-infrared view.
NIRCam — Webb’s primary near-infrared instrument — picked out the galaxy’s gas-and-dust spiral structure, revealing star-forming regions where material is compressed into new stars.
The image covers only a section of M51, whose full disk spans about 76,900 light-years, while the galaxy itself lies roughly 31 million light-years from Earth.
M51 remains a favorite target beyond professional observatories because its apparent magnitude of 8.4 makes its spiral shape visible even to amateur astronomers using small telescopes or binoculars.
JWST found massive star clusters emerge from dust faster. How does this accelerated timeline impact the formation of new solar systems?
Star birth in the Whirlpool is fueled by a galactic merger. But could a supermassive black hole ultimately shut it down?