Webb unveils a breathtaking image of a galaxy with an extremely bright core

The James Webb Space Telescope continues to provide images of various structures in the universe. Indeed, with its instruments, it is able to detect details never seen before, allowing astronomers to better understand the world that surrounds us. But recently, it has unveiled an image of a galaxy located about 45 million light-years from Earth.

Known as M77, or NGC 1068, this galaxy contains more than 300 billion stars and immense amounts of dust. In this image captured by Webb, it is possible to see the galaxy’s core, which is extremely bright. Indeed, at its center, the matter is heated to extremely high temperatures, which explains this intense light.

In addition, this galaxy also contains a supermassive black hole, with a mass about eight million times that of the Sun. And around this black hole, the gas orbits at a speed close to that of light. But the rays of light visible in this image are not real. In reality, these are diffraction spikes caused by the light on the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope.

However, other details are visible, such as the galaxy’s arms, which are composed of hydrogen and measure about 90,000 light-years in diameter. Although this image is incredible, it also allows astronomers to better study and understand its composition.