November 26, 2024

The Sombrero Galaxy as seen in infrared by the James Webb Space Telescope

A new image (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI) captured by the James Webb Space Telescope depicts the Sombrero Galaxy in infrared. The MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) instrument offers details invisible to other telescopes, creating a portrait different from what astronomers are used to. The nucleus is very bright at visible light frequencies while in infrared a smooth inner disk is revealed. The outer disk is “clumpy” and this allows to understand the distribution of dust inside it, an important result to get an idea of ​​the ongoing star formation processes.