Dwarf Galaxy WLM (VLT to NIRCam Zoom)

Zoom in to view the array of stars that make up the dwarf galaxy Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte (WLM). The zoom begins with a ground-based image captured by the European Southern Observatory's OmegaCAM on the VLT Survey Telescope, and ends with an image from the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera captured in July, 2022. The image demonstrates Webb’s remarkable ability to resolve faint stars outside the Milky Way. 

WLM, which lies about 3 million light-years from Earth, is one of many nearby galaxies that make up the Local Group. Read the story, explore the Webb image, or view a side-by-side comparison for more information about the Webb observation. 

VLT image color translation: 0.35-micron ultraviolet light (u filter) is shown in blue; 0.48-micron (g) in green; 0.625-micron (r) in red; and 0.659-micron (H-alpha) in magenta.

Webb image color translation: 0.9-micron light (F090W) shown in blue; 1.5-micron (F150W) in cyan; 2.5-micron (F250M) in yellow; and 4.3-micron (F430M) in red.