NGC 4321, M100 for Super Ultrawide

Face-on spiral galaxy, NGC 4321, is split diagonally in this image: The James Webb Space Telescope’s observations appear at bottom left, and the Hubble Space Telescope’s on top right. Webb and Hubble’s images show a striking contrast, an inverse of darkness and light. Why? Webb’s observations combine near- and mid-infrared light and Hubble’s showcase visible light. Dust absorbs ultraviolet and visible light, and then re-emits it in the infrared. In Webb's images, we see dust glowing in infrared light. In Hubble’s images, dark regions are where starlight is absorbed by dust. Background Galaxies Webb’s image includes distant galaxies that are located well behind the tightly cropped foreground galaxy. Look for bright blue and pink disks, some seen edge-on, like a plate with a central sphere. Redder galaxies are more distant. In Hubble’s view, distant galaxies are often light orange if they are slightly closer. Like in Webb's image, those that are deeper red are also more distant. Galaxy NGC 4321 was observed as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) program, a large project that includes observations from several space- and ground-based telescopes of many galaxies to help researchers study all phases of the star formation cycle, from the formation of stars within dusty gas clouds to the energy released in the process that creates the intricate structures revealed by Webb’s new images. NGC 4321 is 55 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. Extended Description and Image Alt Text

Image Credit:NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, PHANGS Team, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford)