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What it is : The midget galaxy NGC 4449 , also called Caldwell 21
Where it is:12.5 million light - years off , in the configuration Canes Venatici ( the " hunt cad " )
Dwarf galaxy NGC 4449, as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope.
When it was partake in : May 29 , 2024
Why it ’s so particular : Galaxies across the world tend to sire newborn star at a predictable rate , but every once in a while , stargazer come across a " starburst galaxy " that defies all expectations . This newfangled figure from theJames Webb Space Telescopeshows the nanus galaxy NGC 4449 , which appear to be intensely fusing new genius at a much high charge per unit than expected .
In the snapper of the image is a diffuse blue region — a messiness of glowing full stop that are bright around the galax ’s pith . These are older stars . tendril of gas and dust are seeable , too . Yellow- and Orange River - tinge in the marrow , this is where new stars are form . On the outskirt of the coltsfoot , these tendrils are mostly dark-skinned cherry , and they ’re ample in hydrogen . In the bottom left field of the image are compact , weak - blue region — clusters of young star — within the red , ionized gas .
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Why NGC 4449 is so productive is unsung . Its efficiency resembles that of the first braggy galaxies , which are thought to have grown by merging with smaller galaxies . NGC 4449 has been suckle young star for several billion years . It ’s nameless how long its current output will keep going , but astronomer calculate that there ’s enough gas to fuel new stars for another billion years .
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Another conundrum is that , unlike most starburst wandflower , which usually bring out wiz in the first place in their central region , NGC 4449 has new-sprung stars both in its core and in the streams around it .
NGC 4449 is part of the M94 galaxy mathematical group , which is close to the Local Group that hosts theMilky Way . This relative law of proximity nominate it an idealistic target forJWSTto study in exquisite detail .
This image , also useable as azoomable adaptation , combines data from JWST ’s Mid - Infrared Instrument and Near Infrared Camera . It was observed as part of a project cry Feedback in come forth Extragalactic Star Clusters , for which JWST envision the galaxiesM51andM83last twelvemonth .
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