NASA reveals two galaxies, a nebula and a star cluster in stunning detail

At first glance at these images, you’d be forgiven for confusing them with artwork from the latest trendy art show.

But the images are very real and were created by combining images from two of NASA’s most powerful telescopes.

The James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory both captured a dazzling image of two galaxies, a nebula and a star cluster.

By combining the images, these cosmic wonders can be seen in their full glory.

“When multiple NASA telescopes observe the same cosmic region, the true colors of the universe are revealed,” NASA said.

To create the composite images, NASA turned to the James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Each image combines Chandra’s X-rays – a form of high-energy light – with infrared data from previously released Webb images, both of which are invisible to the naked eye.

NASA also included data from the Hubble Space Telescope, which uses optical light, the retired Spitzer Space Telescope (infrared), plus the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton (X-rays) and the European Southern Observatory’s New Technology Telescope (optical ).

The resulting images of the NGC 346 star cluster, the NGC 1672 spiral galaxy, the M16 Eagle Nebula and the M74 spiral galaxy are some of NASA’s most stunning images to date.

NGC 346

NGC 346 is a star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, about 200,000 light-years from Earth.

The images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope show plumes and arcs of gas and dust that stars and planets use as source material during their formation.

Meanwhile, the purple cloud on the left, seen with Chandra, is the remnants of a supernova explosion from a massive star.

“The Chandra data also reveal young, hot and massive stars sending powerful winds out from their surfaces,” NASA said.

NGC 1672 is a spiral galaxy, classified by NASA as a “barred” spiral. “In regions close to their centers, the arms of barred spiral galaxies tend to be in a straight band of stars through the center enclosing the core, unlike other spirals that have arms that twist all the way to their core,” NASA explains.

Also known as the Eagle Nebula, Messier 16 is a famous part of the sky often referred to as the ‘Pillars of Creation’

NGK 1672

NGC 1672 is a spiral galaxy, classified by NASA as a “barred” spiral.

“In regions close to their centers, the arms of barred spiral galaxies tend to be in a straight band of stars through the center enclosing the core, unlike other spirals that have arms that twist all the way to their core,” NASA explains. .

Chandra’s data reveals compact objects in the spiral galaxy, including neutron stars and black holes, as well as the remnants of exploded stars.

Data from Hubble and James Webb were used to fill the spiral arms with dust and gas.

Messier 16 (Eagle Nebula)

Messier 16, also known as the Eagle Nebula, is a famous area of ​​the sky often referred to as the “Pillars of Creation.”

Messier 74 is another spiral galaxy about 32 million light-years away, seen in front from our vantage point here on Earth

In this composite image, Webb’s data shows the dark columns of gas and dust enveloping the few remaining young stars just being formed.

Meanwhile, Chandra’s data looks like dots and shows young stars, which emit large amounts of X-rays.

Messier 74

Finally, Messier 74 is another spiral galaxy about 32 million light-years away, which we see in front from our vantage point here on Earth.

“Messier 74 has been nicknamed the Phantom Galaxy because it is relatively faint, making it more difficult to see with small telescopes than other galaxies in Charles Messier’s famous 18th century catalog,” NASA said.

Webb’s data outlines gas and dust in the infrared, while Chandra’s data highlights high-energy activity of stars at X-ray wavelengths.

The James Webb Telescope: NASA’s $10 billion telescope is designed to detect light from the earliest stars and galaxies

The James Webb telescope has been described as a “time machine” that could help unlock the secrets of our universe.

The telescope will be used to look back at the first galaxies born in the early universe more than 13.5 billion years ago, and to observe the sources of stars, exoplanets and even the moons and planets of our solar system.

The massive telescope, which has already cost more than $7bn (£5bn), is thought to be a successor to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope

The James Webb telescope and most of its instruments have an operating temperature of about 40 Kelvin – about minus 387 Fahrenheit (minus 233 Celsius).

It is the world’s largest and most powerful orbital space telescope, capable of looking back 100-200 million years after the Big Bang.

The orbiting infrared observatory is designed to be about 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA likes to think of James Webb as a successor to Hubble rather than a replacement, as the two will be working together for a while.

The Hubble telescope was launched on April 24, 1990 via the space shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

It orbits Earth at a speed of about 17,000 mph (27,300 km/h) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles altitude.