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JWST's instruments, NIRCam and MIRI, reveal spectacular details of the spiral galaxy NGC 2283, in this image created by combining six shots with different filters in the near and mid-infrared.
Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy
➡️ https://esawebb.org/images/potm2502a/
🔭 🧪 #extragalactic #stellarastro
JWST's instruments, NIRCam and MIRI, reveal spectacular details of the spiral galaxy NGC 2283, in this image created by combining six shots with different filters in the near and mid-infrared.
Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy
➡️ https://esawebb.org/images/potm2502a/
🔭 🧪 #extragalactic #stellarastro
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NGC 2283, located some 45 Mly from Earth, in the constellation Canis Major, is a "barred spiral", characterized by a central bar of stars around which its spiral arms wind faintly.
The different filters allow scientists to observe:
- the galaxy's stellar population, including clusters of stars
visible individually;
- hydrogen gas clouds: heated by young stars, a sign of active star formation;
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): soot-like molecules that emit light and are important for understanding the chemistry of interstellar space;
- stars of the Milky Way:
some bright stars with "diffraction spikes" (star-shaped optical effects) belong to our galaxy and are in the foreground of NGC 2283.
The observation of NGC 2283 is part of a program that studies 55 nearby galaxies where new stars are being born. The goal is to understand
the relationships between stars, gas and dust in galaxies. NGC 2283 is a perfect example because it is close enough to observe details such as star clusters and gas clouds.
It shows active star formation, visible in the "knots" of gas illuminated by young stars that transform cold hydrogen into
hot, bright stars.
It hosted a supernova (SN 2023AXU), detected on 28 January 2023. It is about a type II supernova, caused by the collapse of a massive star (at least 8 times the mass of the Sun), followed by the explosion of its outer layers.
The life cycle of stars is a central theme: star formation creates new stars from gas, while supernovae end the lives of massive stars, enriching space with heavy elements such as oxygen and sodium. This "recycled" gas then becomes the raw material for new stars, perpetuating the cosmic cycle.