JWST Uncovers Hidden Bar in 35 Million-Light-Year Squid Galaxy as Dusty Core Comes Into View
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · May 14
JWST Uncovers Hidden Bar in 35 Million-Light-Year Squid Galaxy as Dusty Core Comes Into View
3 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · May 14
New JWST near- and mid-infrared images of M77, or the Squid Galaxy, exposed a central bar of stars, gas and dust that optical observations could not see and revealed fresh structure around its obscured nucleus.
Infrared light penetrated the galaxy’s heavy dust, letting Webb probe one of the nearest active galactic nuclei—about 35 million light-years away and powered by a core mass estimated near 13 million Suns.
The images also highlight a starburst ring a few thousand light-years wide and multiple red star-forming regions along the spiral arms, underscoring how the galaxy’s structure funnels gas into intense activity.
JWST cannot directly resolve a possible pair of supermassive black holes separated by just 0.1 parsecs, but it may trace surrounding gas and dust motions that clarify what is driving the nucleus.
That nucleus is estimated to consume material at about 0.23 solar masses a year, and M77 already drew attention in 2022 when researchers traced a high-energy neutrino back to its center.
How does the Squid Galaxy’s potential black hole duo power one of the universe's few known cosmic particle accelerators?
If the Squid Galaxy’s two black holes merge, what secrets will their gravitational waves reveal about the cosmos?
The Squid Galaxy (M77) Exposed: JWST’s Breakthrough Discoveries on Bars, Starbursts, and Supermassive Black Holes
Overview
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has transformed our understanding of the Squid Galaxy (M77) by using its advanced infrared capabilities to pierce through dense cosmic dust that once hid the galaxy’s core. These groundbreaking observations have revealed a previously hidden bar structure within M77, which is crucial for understanding how gas and dust are funneled toward the galaxy’s center. This process directly influences M77’s evolution, as the movement of material shapes the galaxy’s structure and fuels both star formation and the activity of its central supermassive black hole.