Spiral galaxy’s brilliant heart shines bright in a new picture from NASA’s Webb telescope

By: Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press Posted: Last Modified:

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spiral galaxy’s brilliant heart outshines everything within sight in a new picture from NASA’s Webb Space Telescope.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spiral galaxy’s brilliant heart outshines everything within sight in a new picture from NASA’s Webb Space Telescope.

The image released this week depicts the Messier 77 galaxy 45 million light-years away in the Cetus, or whale, constellation. A light year is about 6 trillion miles.

This image provided by NASA/ESA/Webb from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope shows Messier 77 (M77), a barred spiral galaxy famous and appreciated among astronomers for its combination of relative proximity and spectacular features to study. (NASA via AP)
This image provided by NASA/ESA/Webb from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope shows Messier 77 (M77), a barred spiral galaxy famous and appreciated among astronomers for its combination of relative proximity and spectacular features to study. (NASA via AP)

The galaxy’s active nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole that’s 8 million times more massive than the sun. Surrounding gas is sucked into a tight orbit around the black hole, becoming so hot that it radiates in the extreme.

Webb’s mid-infrared instrument captured the stunning details.

The world’s largest and most powerful space telescope has been photographing the cosmos since launching in 2021.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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