Webb’s Telescope – enhanced, dazzling images of the Pillars of Creation and more. Hubble and Chandra have come to the rescue!

Webb’s telescope impresses not only when it sends the latest images to Earth – sometimes all that is needed for cosmic brilliance is the correction of previously released photographs. Evidence of this are the images presented by NASA of the Pillars of Creation (also known as the Eagle Nebula or M16), the open cluster NGC 346 and the spiral galaxies NGC 1672 and M74 (the famous “Spectre” galaxy). Each of these objects has been immortalized by Webb in the last several months; this time, scientists decided to show them in a new, captivating perspective.

For this purpose, they used data collected by the Chandra Telescope, working in the X-ray spectrum invisible to the human eye, combining them with the work of JWST. In some cases, data transmitted by real titans among space observatories: Hubble (visible light), Spitzer (infrared), XMM-Newton (ultraviolet and X-ray) and the European Southern Observatory (visible light) were also used for processing. Thanks to this, in earlier photographs we can now see young, massive stars (this is mainly due to Chandra) or enhanced spiral arms of galaxies (this is just the work of Hubble). See for yourself:

Webb’s telescope – corrected photos [Filary Stworzenia, Galaktyka Widmo, NGC 346, NGC 1672]

In the above photographs we can see the following objects:

• Pillars of Creation – an object which, thanks to the image taken in 1995 by the Hubble Telescope, gained cult status among astronomy enthusiasts. We’re talking about a spectacular part of the Eagle nebula in the constellation of the Serpent, 6,500 light years from Earth. The whole area measures about 4-5 light years diagonally, while its height is about 4 light years. Most notable are the three huge columns of gas which, under the influence of gravity, heats up and leads to the formation of protostars; the term “star manger” is most appropriate [zdjęcie powstało z danych Teleskopów Webba i Chandra];
• NGC 346 – stretching over the area of ​​200 light years and distant from the Earth by approx. 200 thousand. light years, an open cluster located in the Small Magellanic Cloud – this object was previously looked at by the Hubble Telescope. JWST’s observations have allowed scientists to determine that this visually stunning star-forming region is even more dynamic and complex than previously thought. In it we can see much more clouds of dust and hydrogen than before, some of which will give rise not only to new stars, but also to planets born around them [Webb, Chandra, Hubble, Spitzer, XMM-Newton, ESO];
• M74 (Phantom or Wraith/Ghost Galaxy) – located in the constellation Pisces and located about 32 million light years from Earth, a spiral galaxy that owes its name to the “dim” color, which makes it difficult to find in the night sky [Webb, Chandra, Hubble];
• NGC 1672 – a spiral galaxy with a bar located in the constellation of the Golden Fish and about 60 million light years away from our planet; data from Chandra allowed the new image to highlight the remnants of exploding stars and the presence of neutron stars [Webb, Chandra, Hubble].