Photos of incredible ‘disaster zone’ galaxy captured by NASA
NASA has released incredible images of a distant galaxy, but the pictures hint at a “disaster zone” waiting to erupt.
NASA has captured incredible images of a distant and lively galaxy, but the space agency says the pictures hint at a “disaster zone” waiting to erupt.
The breathtaking images, which were released publicly earlier this week, appeared to show a serene galaxy suspended gracefully in outer space.
From 184 million light-years away, the spiral galaxy, named UGC 11860, was a colourful and dazzling spectacle. Multi-coloured clouds mingled and dispersed in the night sky, while stars bathed the incredible scene in light.
But space agencies around the world say the galaxy, when viewed up close, is an explosive whirlpool of disaster.
In fact, it was recently the site of an almost unimaginably energetic stellar explosion.
“The hugely energetic processes during supernova explosions are predominantly responsible for forging the elements between silicon and nickel on the periodic table,” a statement from the European Space Agency said.
“This means that understanding the influence of the masses and compositions of the progenitor star systems is vital to explaining how many of the chemical elements here on Earth originated.”
The images of UGC 11860 were just one part of a series of brilliant photos, all recently released by NASA and other space agencies, that shed new light on the workings of space both far and near.
Shining galaxy captured closer to home
Closer to home, a galaxy 20 million light years away shone brightly for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
Galaxy NGC 5068, which has a barrelled light structure similar to that of the Milky Way, lies within the Virgo constellation which is home to an enormous cluster of galaxies.
A striking image of NGC 5068, taken with a mid infra-red instrument, showcased the “dusty” nature of its structure, featuring orbs of gas that surround the star clusters.
The photo provided a closer look into the areas of the observable universe where stars are born.
“By observing the formation of stars in nearby galaxies, astronomers hope to kickstart major scientific advances with some of the first available data from Webb,” NASA said.
New images reveal Sun in astonishing detail
Even our own Sun was captured in astonishing detail, with the release of the highest-ever resolution pictures of its surface.
In one image, captured by Hawaii’s new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, features as small as 30km across could be seen for the first time ever.
The image covered an area of 38,300km by 38,300km — almost the same as the circumference of planet Earth.
Another light image from the Inouye Solar Telescope captured the surface of the Sun, zoomed in close to show its bubbly, popcorn-like texture.
That light image showed a pattern of turbulent, “boiling” gas that covers the entire Sun. The golden cell-like structures — each about the size of New South Wales — are the signature of violent motions that transport heat from the inside of the Sun to its surface.
Scientists ‘stunned’ by mysterious structures in Milky Way
The international team of astrophysicists also discovered hundreds of mysterious structures in the centre of the Milky Way.
The structures — which were described as one-dimensional cosmic threads made up of hundreds of horizontal or radial filaments — seemed to be pointing in the direction of the black hole.
“I was actually stunned when I saw these. We had to do a lot of work to establish that we weren’t fooling ourselves,” Yusef-Zadeh, a member of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics, explained of the incredible discovery.
“We found that these filaments are not random but appear to be tied to the outflow of our black hole … It is satisfying when one finds order in (the) middle of a chaotic field of the nucleus of our galaxy.”
Lightning strikes on Jupiter
New images also showed bolts of lightning that briefly lit up near the dark side of Jupiter.
Named after the ancient Roman god of storms, Jupiter lived up to expectations after a NASA spacecraft captured an image of the lightning’s afterglow, just after it lit up the swirling vortex at the planet’s north pole.
NASA scientists explained the phenomenon, saying: “On Earth, lightning bolts originate from water clouds, and happen most frequently near the equator.
“While on Jupiter lightning likely also occurs in clouds containing an ammonia-water solution, and can be seen most often near the poles.”
In the coming months, the spacecraft will begin to travel closer to Jupiter, providing even greater opportunities for dazzling images of the planet.
Life-forming chemical detected for first time
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers were also able to detect a crucial carbon molecule for the first time.
The compound, called methyl cation (CH3+), was traced back to a young star system 1350 light-years away from Earth, according to NASA.
Carbon compounds fascinate scientists because they act as the foundation for all life as we understand it — which may help to uncover whether the existence of similar forms of life are plausible in other parts of space.
Methyl cation is considered a key component that helps to form more complex carbon-based molecules.
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