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December 31, 2025<\/p>\n
1 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Colliding Spiral Galaxies Captured in Sparkling Detail<\/p>\n Astronomers combined data from NASA\u2019s JWST and Chandra X-ray Observatory to create a stunning new image of two merging spiral galaxies<\/p>\n By Claire Cameron edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier<\/span><\/p>\n X-ray: NASA\/CXC\/SAO; Infrared: NASA\/ESA\/CSA\/STScI\/Webb; Image Processing: NASA\/CXC\/SAO\/L. Frattare<\/p>\n Two space telescopes really are better than one. This month NASA released a new image that combines observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory of two spiral galaxies on a cosmic collision course.<\/p>\n The two space telescopes have very different trajectories\u2014giving them each a heady vantage point on the universe. JWST orbits the sun and observes the cosmos in infrared light, whereas Chandra, which orbits Earth, is sensitive to the x-ray spectrum. The newly released image combines their observations into one, revealing the galaxies IC 2163 (the left-hand galaxy) and NGC 2207 (on the right) in a new light.<\/p>\n The pair are located some 120 million light-years from Earth. The larger galaxy, NGC 2207, is slowly stretching and stripping the smaller of the pair. Together they are joined in a slow, gravitational dance that will, billions of years from now, end in their merger into a single galaxy. In the image, mid-infrared data from JWST shows dust and other cooler matter in white, gray and red, while x-ray data from Chandra shows high-energy areas, including regions of intense star formation, in blue.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n When galaxies merge, they can trigger explosive bursts of star formation, and astronomers are keen to observe these collisions to understand how galaxies evolve over time.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" December 31, 2025 1 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Colliding Spiral Galaxies Captured in Sparkling Detail Astronomers combined data from NASA\u2019s JWST and Chandra X-ray Observatory to create a stunning new image of two merging spiral galaxies By Claire Cameron edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier X-ray: NASA\/CXC\/SAO; Infrared: NASA\/ESA\/CSA\/STScI\/Webb; Image Processing: NASA\/CXC\/SAO\/L. Frattare<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[9466,16139,15108,1692,3331,17042,21508,13417],"class_list":{"0":"post-39755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-capture","9":"tag-colliding","10":"tag-detail","11":"tag-galaxies","12":"tag-nasa","13":"tag-sparkling","14":"tag-spiral","15":"tag-telescopes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
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