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Interacting Galaxies Arp 142 (MIRI Image)

Two interacting galaxies known as Arp 142 in a horizontal image taken in mid-infrared light. At left is NGC 2937, which looks like a tiny teal oval and is nicknamed the Egg. At right is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin, which is significantly larger and looks like a bird with a fanned tail.

Webb’s mid-infrared view of interacting galaxies Arp 142 seems to sing in primary colors. The background of space is like a yawning darkness speckled with bright, multi-colored beads.

This image was taken by MIRI, the telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument, which astronomers use to study cooler and older objects, dust, and extremely distant galaxies.

Here, the Egg appears as an exceptionally small teal oval with gauzy layers. Mid-infrared light predominantly shows the oldest stars in the elliptical galaxy, which has lost or used up most of its gas and dust. This is why the view is so different from the combined image, which includes near-infrared light.

At right, the Penguin’s shape is relatively unchanged. The MIRI image shows all the gas and dust that has been distorted and stretched, as well as the smoke-like material, in blue, that includes carbon-containing molecules, known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Next, look for the edge-on galaxy cataloged PGC 1237172 at the top right — a dim, hazy line. Find it by looking for the bright blue star with small diffraction spikes positioned over the top of its left edge. This galaxy nearly disappears in mid-infrared light because its stars are very young and the galaxy isn’t overflowing with dust.

Now, scan the full image left to right to spot distant galaxies in the background. The red objects are encased in thick layers of dust. Some are spiral galaxies and others are more distant galaxies that can only be detected as dots or smudges. Green galaxies are laden with dust and are farther away. Bluer galaxies are closer. Zoom in carefully to see if a blue dot has miniscule diffraction spikes — those are stars, not galaxies.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    09:37:43.09
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    02:45:47.01
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Hydra
  • Distance
    DistanceThe 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.
    326 million light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 3.4 arcmin across (about 322,000 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data 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 with Webb data from proposal: 6564 (M. Marin); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    MIRI
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    May 6, 2024
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F770W, F1000W, F1500W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Arp 142, NGC 2396/2397
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Interacting Galaxies
  • Release Date
    July 12, 2024
  • Science Release
    Vivid Portrait of Interacting Galaxies Marks Webb’s Second Anniversary
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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Two interacting galaxies known as Arp 142 in a horizontal image taken in mid-infrared light. At left is NGC 2937, which looks like a tiny teal oval and is nicknamed the Egg. At right is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin, which is significantly larger and looks like a bird with a fanned tail.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the MIRI instrument. Several filters were used to sample narrow and broad 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: Red: F1500W Green: F1000W Blue: F770W.

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Two interacting galaxies known as Arp 142. At left is NGC 2937, nicknamed the Egg for its appearance. At right is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin for its appearance. The latter’s beak-like region points toward and above the Egg.

Interacting Galaxies Arp 142 (NIRCam and MIRI Image)

This “penguin party” is loud! The distorted spiral galaxy at center, the Penguin, and the compact elliptical galaxy at left, the Egg, are locked in an active embrace. A new near- and mid-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope, taken to mark its second year of...

Frame is split down the middle: Hubble’s visible light image at left, and Webb’s near-infrared image at right. Both show the Egg at left and the Penguin at right.

Interacting Galaxies Arp 142 (Hubble and Webb Image)

Two penguins, two eggs — two very different color schemes! The Hubble Space Telescope captured visible light when observing Arp 142, nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg, in 2013 . At right is the James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared light view of the same region. Both images...

A graphic labeled “James Webb Space Telescope, Interacting Galaxies Arp 142.” In the center is a near- and mid-infrared image of two interacting galaxies set against a field of much smaller, more distant galaxies in the black background of space.

Interacting Galaxies Arp 142 (NIRCam and MIRI Compass Image)

This image of interacting galaxies Arp 142, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), shows compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the...

A graphic labeled “James Webb Space Telescope, Interacting Galaxies Arp 142.” In the center is a mid-infrared image of two interacting galaxies set against a field of much smaller, more distant galaxies in the black background of space.

Interacting Galaxies Arp 142 (MIRI Compass Image)

This image of interacting galaxies Arp 142, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), shows 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...

Two interacting galaxies known as Arp 142. At left is NGC 2937, nicknamed the Egg for its appearance. At right is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin for its appearance. The latter’s beak-like region points toward and above the Egg.

A Tour of Arp 142

This video tours Arp 142, an interacting galaxy pair affectionately known as the Penguin and the Egg that lies 326 million light-years from Earth. The journey begins and ends on a new mid- and near-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope, and includes a brief fade to...

A visualization of Arp 142, two interacting galaxies, observed in near-infrared light. At left is NGC 2937, nicknamed the Egg. Its center is the brighter and whiter. At right and above is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin. Its beak-like region points leftward, above the Egg. Where the eye would be is a small, opaque white central bulge. The Penguin’s distorted arms form the bird’s beak, back, and tail, the outlines of which are pink. The tail is wide and layered, like a beta fish’s tail. A semi-transparent blue hue traces the Penguin and extends from the galaxy, creating an upside-down U over top of both galaxies. The entire black background is filled with tiny, much more distant galaxies.

Arp 142 Visualization

This visualization examines the three-dimensional structure of Arp 142, a pair of interacting galaxies nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg, as seen in near-infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope. The Penguin, a spiral galaxy cataloged as NGC 2936, has passed by the Egg,...

Frame is split down the middle: Hubble’s visible light image at left, and Webb’s near-infrared image at right. Both show the Egg at left and the Penguin at right. In Hubble’s view, the Penguin is highly detailed, with a bright blue beak, body, and tail that is covered in an arc of bright brown dust. The Egg, to its left, appears bright, gleaming yellowish white. At top right is another galaxy seen from the side, about as long as the Egg’s height. Dozens of galaxies and stars appear in the background. Webb’s near-infrared image shows the Penguin’s beak, head, and back in shades of pink. It’s tail-like region is more diffuse, and a mix of lighter pinks and blues. The Egg appears slightly larger in blue layers. A semi-transparent blue forms an upside down U over top of both galaxies. At top right, an edge-on galaxy has many more pinpricks of light, which are stars. Thousands of galaxies and stars appear in the background. Some galaxies are shades of orange, while others are white.

Arp 142 Hubble to Webb Fade

This video compares images of two interacting galaxies cataloged Arp 142, nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg. The first image is in visible light, and was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The second shows near-infrared light observed by the...

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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

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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