JWST & HST examine galaxy pair IC 2163 & NGC 2207

[AVAO]

Webb and Hubble examine spooky galaxy pair
space.com | Original release 2024 October 31

An image of spiral galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 produced from observations made by the Hubble space telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. Hubble's data are from its Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Webb's data were gathered by its MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). This image shows invisible ultraviolet, visible, and mid-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated into visible-light colors. The color key shows which WFPC2 and MIRI filters were used when collecting the light. The color of each filter name is the visible-light color used to represent the infrared light that passes through that filter. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

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This pair of galaxies is currently in the process of colliding and merging into one, a process that will take around a billion years.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope teamed up to image two spiral galaxies known as IC 2163 and NGC 2207 as they appeared millions of years ago. That's because the pair of colliding galaxies resides some 80 million light-years away in the Canis Major constellation. This pair of galaxies is currently in the process of colliding and merging into one, a process that will take around a billion years. "Stare deeply at these galaxies," the JWST team wrote in a statement accompanying the new images. "They appear as if blood is pumping through the top of a flesh-free face. The long, ghastly 'stare' of their searing eye-like cores shines out into the supreme cosmic darkness."
[...]
"The galaxies’ first pass may have also distorted their delicately curved arms, pulling out tidal extensions in several places. The diffuse, tiny spiral arms between IC 2163’s core and its far left arm may be an example of this activity. Even more tendrils look like they’re hanging between the galaxies’ cores. Another extension ‘drifts’ off the top of the larger galaxy, forming a thin, semi-transparent arm that practically runs off screen." NASA/ESA
[...]
The very blue spot on the HST picture (bottom right), known as future eye, is a hub of rapid star formation on the outer arm of NGC 2207 glowing even more brightly (espacially in IR) than the galaxy’s core.

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BSN4Y Jac

[Ann]

Webb and Hubble examine spooky galaxy pair
space.com | Original release 2024 October 31

An image of spiral galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 produced from observations made by the Hubble space telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. Hubble's data are from its Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Webb's data were gathered by its MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). This image shows invisible ultraviolet, visible, and mid-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated into visible-light colors. The color key shows which WFPC2 and MIRI filters were used when collecting the light. The color of each filter name is the visible-light color used to represent the infrared light that passes through that filter. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

---

[...]
This pair of galaxies is currently in the process of colliding and merging into one, a process that will take around a billion years.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope teamed up to image two spiral galaxies known as IC 2163 and NGC 2207 as they appeared millions of years ago. That's because the pair of colliding galaxies resides some 80 million light-years away in the Canis Major constellation. This pair of galaxies is currently in the process of colliding and merging into one, a process that will take around a billion years. "Stare deeply at these galaxies," the JWST team wrote in a statement accompanying the new images. "They appear as if blood is pumping through the top of a flesh-free face. The long, ghastly 'stare' of their searing eye-like cores shines out into the supreme cosmic darkness."
[...]
"The galaxies’ first pass may have also distorted their delicately curved arms, pulling out tidal extensions in several places. The diffuse, tiny spiral arms between IC 2163’s core and its far left arm may be an example of this activity. Even more tendrils look like they’re hanging between the galaxies’ cores. Another extension ‘drifts’ off the top of the larger galaxy, forming a thin, semi-transparent arm that practically runs off screen." NASA/ESA
[...]
The very blue spot on the HST picture (bottom right), known as future eye, is a hub of rapid star formation on the outer arm of NGC 2207 glowing even more brightly (espacially in IR) than the galaxy’s core.

... read more
... slider
... bigg

BSN4Y Jac

Thank you so much for the slider image in particular, Jac!

NGC 2207 and IC 2163 is such an interesting pair. I remember when I firs saw it the Hubble picture of them (back in 1999) that I thought that NGC 2207 looked "patchy". Its arms seemed to consist of bright blue patches of large bright clusters, and then pretty much "nothing" in between. Admittedly though, Hubble did a good job of bringing out the faint arm population connecting the bright clusters.

NGC 2207 with patchy arms, and IC 2163 with arms resembling an Egyptian eye. Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI)

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In a newly released Hubble image though, NGC 2207 looks even patchier, and the faint intermediate to old armpopulation appears to be almost gone:

NGC 2207 (right) and IC 6321. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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I'm reminded of what James D Wray, in his Color Atlas of Galaxies, said about galaxy NGC 3486: The bright intermediate population appears to be almost absent in this galaxy.

Patchy galaxy NGC 3486. Credit: Adam Block.

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IC 2163, by contrast, has two bright continuous arms that make the galaxy look like an Egyptian eye (minus the stuff above and below the eye).

Eye of Horus amulet. Photo credit: I don't know.

Eye galaxy IC 2163 is at left. Credit: Windows Spotlight Images

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Interestingly, the slider image shows the dust lanes in the inner arms of IC 2163 to be thicker, brighter and far more continuous in IR than the arms of NGC 2207. I couldn't copy the slider, but here they are, the Hubble and JWST images side by side:

Hubble and Webb Images of NGC 2207 and IC 2163 side by side.

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Ann

[AVAO]

Webb and Hubble examine spooky galaxy pair
space.com | Original release 2024 October 31

An image of spiral galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 produced from observations made by the Hubble space telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. Hubble's data are from its Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Webb's data were gathered by its MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). This image shows invisible ultraviolet, visible, and mid-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated into visible-light colors. The color key shows which WFPC2 and MIRI filters were used when collecting the light. The color of each filter name is the visible-light color used to represent the infrared light that passes through that filter. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

---

[...]
This pair of galaxies is currently in the process of colliding and merging into one, a process that will take around a billion years.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope teamed up to image two spiral galaxies known as IC 2163 and NGC 2207 as they appeared millions of years ago. That's because the pair of colliding galaxies resides some 80 million light-years away in the Canis Major constellation. This pair of galaxies is currently in the process of colliding and merging into one, a process that will take around a billion years. "Stare deeply at these galaxies," the JWST team wrote in a statement accompanying the new images. "They appear as if blood is pumping through the top of a flesh-free face. The long, ghastly 'stare' of their searing eye-like cores shines out into the supreme cosmic darkness."
[...]
"The galaxies’ first pass may have also distorted their delicately curved arms, pulling out tidal extensions in several places. The diffuse, tiny spiral arms between IC 2163’s core and its far left arm may be an example of this activity. Even more tendrils look like they’re hanging between the galaxies’ cores. Another extension ‘drifts’ off the top of the larger galaxy, forming a thin, semi-transparent arm that practically runs off screen." NASA/ESA
[...]
The very blue spot on the HST picture (bottom right), known as future eye, is a hub of rapid star formation on the outer arm of NGC 2207 glowing even more brightly (espacially in IR) than the galaxy’s core.

... read more
... slider
... bigg

My Universe Hub New APOD-Image-Search


BSN4Y Jac

Thank you so much for the slider image in particular, Jac!

NGC 2207 and IC 2163 is such an interesting pair. I remember when I firs saw it the Hubble picture of them (back in 1999) that I thought that NGC 2207 looked "patchy". Its arms seemed to consist of bright blue patches of large bright clusters, and then pretty much "nothing" in between. Admittedly though, Hubble did a good job of bringing out the faint arm population connecting the bright clusters.

NGC 2207 with patchy arms, and IC 2163 with arms resembling an Egyptian eye. Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI)

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In a newly released Hubble image though, NGC 2207 looks even patchier, and the faint intermediate to old armpopulation appears to be almost gone:

NGC 2207 (right) and IC 6321. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

---

I'm reminded of what James D Wray, in his Color Atlas of Galaxies, said about galaxy NGC 3486: The bright intermediate population appears to be almost absent in this galaxy.

Patchy galaxy NGC 3486. Credit: Adam Block.

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IC 2163, by contrast, has two bright continuous arms that make the galaxy look like an Egyptian eye (minus the stuff above and below the eye).

il_fullxfull.3495650577_1cpf[1].jpg

Eye of Horus amulet. Photo credit: I don't know.

Eye galaxy IC 2163 is at left. Credit: Windows Spotlight Images

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Interestingly, the slider image shows the dust lanes in the inner arms of IC 2163 to be thicker, brighter and far more continuous in IR than the arms of NGC 2207. I couldn't copy the slider, but here they are, the Hubble and JWST images side by side:

Hubble and Webb Images of NGC 2207 and IC 2163 side by side.

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Ann

ThanX Ann

Your exciting comparisons are always a highlight in this forum. The idea of ​​the comparison with the "Eye of Horus" is also very cool.

But what always irritates me about overlapping galaxies is the fact that the bright and blue stars of the foreground galaxy dissolve into nothingness in the white transmitted light of the galaxy behind them.

Jac


My Universe Hub New APOD-Image-Search

[Ann]

ThanX Ann

Your exciting comparisons are always a highlight in this forum. The idea of ​​the comparison with the "Eye of Horus" is also very cool.

But what always irritates me about overlapping galaxies is the fact that the bright and blue stars of the foreground galaxy dissolve into nothingness in the white transmitted light of the galaxy behind them.

Jac


My Universe Hub New APOD-Image-Search

Not sure I understand what you mean by "the bright and blue stars of the foreground galaxy dissolve into nothingness in the white transmitted light of the galaxy behind them".

Of course, I know for a fact that blue stars are sometimes shown as blue, and sometimes they are not!

Ann

[AVAO]

Very bright star clusters still remain visible. Normal brighter individual stars "dissolve" in the light of the background galaxy.

[AVAO]

Ex: