The James Webb Space Telescope has captured images of all sorts of stellar spectacles since its launch in 2021, but now it appears to be picking up the weird, as well as the wonderful, too.
Astronomers from the European Space Agency (ESA), who jointly operate Webb alongside NASA, have published a photo captured by the telescope depicting a galaxy they can only describe as “unusual”.
According to the astronomers, whose findings were published by the ESA, galaxy NGC 3239 – also known as Arp 263 – not only has an “unusual, distorted” shape, but its stars are oriented differently to its hydrogen gas, where they would normally be symmetrical.
Categorized as an “irregular” galaxy, according to the astronomers, Arp 263 was the result of a cosmic convergence of two separate galaxies, which would explain its irregularity.
The astronomers believe that the other galaxy involved in the merger, but now “nowhere to be found”, was likely a dwarf galaxy small enough to have been completely dissolved into the larger NGC 3239.
However, the astronomers also noted that Arp 263's unusual shape and behavior is expected of galaxies previously involved in what they called a “gravitational tug-of-war” with a former companion galaxy.
The focal point of the recently released image is undoubtedly the extremely bright star that appears at the top of the frame.
This is BD+17 2217, and it looks exponentially brighter because it is, in fact, located within the Milky Way, much closer to home at approximately 7,000 light-years away. This star often appears in the foreground of deep-space images and has gained a reputation among astronomers as a “photobomber.”
While astronomers have known about Arp 263 for well over two centuries, the recent image has revealed new insights. Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) allowed scientists to look “inside” the thick dust clouds for a glimpse of what they called a “stellar nursery”: clusters of recently formed stars.
According to the astronomers, the recent observation will help further understand how stars are born. They added that, because of its “unique” appearance, Arp 263 stands as a fascinating target for future investigations.
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