February 21, 2023

The galaxy NGC 7496 as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope (Image NASA, ESA, CSA, and J. Lee (NOIRLab), A. Pagan (STScI))

A special issue of “The Astrophysical Journal Letters” contains a series of articles reporting the first results of the PHANGS–JWST survey. More than one hundred researchers from the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby Galaxies (PHANGS) Collaboration used the James Webb Space Telescope to examine the galaxies M74, NGC 7496, IC 5332, NGC 1365, and NGC 1433. In particular, the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) made it possible to observe structures within those galaxies in previously unseen detail. The information gathered is valuable for reconstructing star formation processes and the influence they have on the gas surrounding protostars and newborn stars.