Groups of interacting galaxies that are close to us, like Stephan’s Quintet shown here, offer an opportunity to study many of these phenomena. In fact, Stephan’s Quintet is a fantastic laboratory for studying processes fundamental to all galaxies.
The James Webb Space Telescope, with its ability to see in the near- and mid-infrared wavelength range, provides a new look into the activities of supermassive black holes and star formation. The top-most galaxy in the group, NGC 7319, contains a black hole, which is about 24 million times the mass of our sun and puts out light energy equivalent to 40 billion Suns. This energy can heat surrounding dust and gas, fueling winds and outflows.
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Credit : NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI.
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