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Arp 220 (NIRCam and MIRI image)
Shining like a brilliant beacon amidst a sea of galaxies, Arp 220 lights up the night sky in this view from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Actually two spiral galaxies in the process of merging, Arp 220 glows brightest in infrared light, making it an ideal target for Webb. It is an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) with a luminosity of more than a trillion suns. In comparison, our Milky Way galaxy has a much more modest luminosity of about ten billion suns.
Located 250 million light-years away in the constellation of Serpens, the Serpent, Arp 220 is the 220th object in Halton Arp’s Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. It is the nearest ULIRG and the brightest of the three galactic mergers closest to Earth.
The collision of the two spiral galaxies began about 700 million years ago. It sparked an enormous burst of star formation. About 200 huge star clusters reside in a packed, dusty region about 5,000 light-years across (about 5 percent of the Milky Way's diameter). The amount of gas in this tiny region is equal to all of the gas in the entire Milky Way galaxy.
Previous radio telescope observations revealed about 100 supernova remnants in an area of less than 500 light-years. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope uncovered the cores of the parent galaxies 1,200 light-years apart. Each of the cores has a rotating, star-forming ring blasting out the dazzling infrared light so apparent in this Webb view. This glaring light creates diffraction spikes — the starburst feature that dominates this image.
On the outskirts of this merger, Webb reveals faint tidal tails, or material drawn off the galaxies by gravity, represented in blue — evidence of the galactic dance that is occurring. Organic material represented in reddish-orange appears in streams and filaments across Arp 220.
Webb viewed Arp 220 with its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.15:34:57.72
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.+23:30:05.92
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Serpens
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.250 million light-years (100 million parsecs)
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.Image is approximately 120,000 light years across.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.This image was created from JWST data from proposal: 2739 (K. Pontoppidan)
- InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.NIRCam, MIRI
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.2 June 2022, 4 June 2022
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.NIRCam>F090W, F150W, F200W, F277W, F356W, F444W MIRI> F770W, F1130W
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Arp 220, IC 1127, VV 540, KPG 470, UGC 09913
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Interacting Galaxies
- Release DateApril 17, 2023
- Science ReleaseWebb Captures the Spectacular Galactic Merger Arp 220
- CreditImage: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. Several filters were used to sample wide wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F090W, F150W Green: F200W Orange: F277W + F770W Red: F356W +444W + F1130W
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Arp 220 (NIRCam and MIRI Compass image)
Image of Arp 220 captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between...
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Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
