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Galaxies Through Time

Discover how telescopes make it possible to look back in time and study the history of the universe, and how Webb will provide new details on galaxy evolution over time. The earliest pages of cosmic history are blank, but Webb will allow us to look back farther in time than ever before, helping to fill in the lost pages of the universe’s story.
  • Release Date
    September 23, 2020
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Will Explore the Cores of Merging Galaxies
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  • Credit
    Video: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI), Dani Player (STScI)

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NGC 3256, a pair of interacting galaxies with a large egg-like shape. Brown-red dust is mixed throughout the center, and two uneven light-blue “arms” extend down from the middle.

NGC 3256 (Hubble)

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NGC 7469 (Hubble)

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Telescope image of two irregular-shaped galaxies interacting with each other.

II Zw 096 (Hubble)

These merging galaxies, known as II Zw 096, are the site of a spectacular burst of star formation that is hinted at in the red speckles near the middle of the image. This dust-shrouded area conceals a brilliant burst of star formation that becomes more apparent at longer...

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Video Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI), Dani Player (STScI)

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