NASA's Webb showcases the incredible beauty of the dust in space

NASA and the European Space Agency's James Webb Space Telescope has revealed some interesting details about the closest galaxy to the Milky Way.

5

Webb has honed its extremely sensitive instruments on the neighboring galaxy Barnard's Galaxy, officially called NGC 6822, which is located 1.5 million light years away from Earth within the constellation Sagittarius. The galaxy stretches 7,000 light years from one side to the other and is officially categorized as a dwarf galaxy. Additionally, astronomers have determined that Barnard's Galaxy is very low in heavy elements, while most of its stars are born within the last 5 billion years.

So, what makes Barnard's Galaxy so interesting? The lack of heavy elements within the galaxy suggests that it has remained in isolation from other more active parts of the universe. For example, every element that is heavier than hydrogen and helium have been created by stars.

Throughout a star's life heavier and heavier elements are created, capping out at iron. Barnard's Galaxy lacks these heavy elements, making it a prime target for astronomers to learn about what the universe would have looked like in its earliest stages of formation.

Observations from NASA's Webb instruments, MIRI and NIRCam, have been combined to create the image at the top of the article. Greeny-yellowy colors represent gas and dust, while red colors represent regions of star formation. Oranges represent distant galaxies, while the millions of stars represent, well, stars.

5

MIRI observations

5

NIRCam observations

Astronomers hope to learn more about the formation of the early universe by observing the evolution of Barnard's Galaxy.