The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has spied a pair of dwarf galaxies engaged in a cosy gravitational dance. These two galaxies are called NGC 4490 and NGC 4485, they’re located about 24 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs). (Picture: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Adamo ()
What is a dwarf galaxy?
A dwarf galaxy is home to just a few billion stars - a number of them orbit lager galaxies, such as the Milky Way or the Andromeda Galaxy. Observing dwarf galaxies merge can teach us how galaxies billions of years ago might have grown and evolved.(Picture: MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Space scientists mark changing of seasons with striking cosmic wonders
This isn't the only beautiful picture taken of space recently either. Beautiful images similar to this have been released from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, as they dropped images of celestial fanfare to wave goodbye to autumn. They include space oddities, one resembling a cozy sweater – just in time for Christmas – and another they compare to fallen leaves, not a summer's day. Chandra states they are examples of pareidolia, the phenomenon that allows people to see familiar patterns or shapes in data. (Picture: / SWNS)
They explain: 'Before fall gives way to winter in the northern hemisphere, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has several images that celebrate autumn and its many delights to share. In spirit of the season, this collection gathers Chandra data with those from its telescopic family including NASA’s James Webb, Hubble, and Spitzer Space Telescopes, plus others in space and on the ground.' (Picture: / SWNS)
As for the dwarf galaxy, aside from the Milky Way’s own dwarf companions (the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds), this is the closest known interacting dwarf-dwarf system where astronomers have directly observed both a gas bridge and resolved stellar populations. The nearby dwarf galaxies NGC 4490 and NGC 4485 form an intriguing pair. (Picture: / SWNS)
Nearly three decades ago, astronomers discovered a wispy bridge of gas connecting these two galaxies, showing that they have had interactions in the past. Despite many studies with powerful telescopes like the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the history between NGC4490 and NGC 4485 has remained largely unknown. (Picture: NASA/SAO/CXC et al. / SWNS)
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