NASA says the new image offers 'a snapshot of the galaxy’s current state, but also a peek into its past and future'.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
As NASA explains in its blog post, the galaxy's resemblance to a wagon wheel is the result of an ancient collision between itself and a smaller galaxy. Essentially, that means we're seeing the result of a massive galactic merger. According to NASA, “the Cartwheel Galaxy sports two rings — a bright inner ring and a surrounding, colorful ring. These two rings expand outwards from the center of the collision, like ripples in a pond after a stone is tossed into it.
NASA explains that the outer ring of the Cartwheel Galaxy, which has expanded for approximately 440 million years, is dominated by star formation and supernovas. That’s because, as the ring expands, it interacts with surrounding gas to trigger star formation. Webb’s NIRCam reveals these evolving areas in impressive new detail. This, according to the U.S. space agency, means that the new image reveals the galaxy’s history while also indicating how it will continue to evolve in the future.
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