James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Detailed Images of 19 Spiral Galaxies

Images Provide Unprecedented Insights into Star Formation and Suggest Presence of Active Supermassive Black Holes

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has released highly detailed images of 19 spiral galaxies, offering unprecedented insights into their structure and the process of star formation.
The images, part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) program, reveal large, spherical shells in the gas and dust, possibly created by exploding stars.
The JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) have enabled scientists to observe millions of stars and glowing dust, indicating regions where stars are still forming.
The images also suggest the presence of active supermassive black holes in several galaxy cores, marked by pink-and-red diffraction spikes.
The PHANGS team has released a catalogue featuring approximately 100,000-star clusters, providing a vast resource for researchers studying star life cycles.