Webb unveils spiral galaxy NGC 2090 in magnificent detail

Today’s Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the galaxy NGC 2090, located approximately 40 million light-years away in the constellation Columba.

NGC 2090 is a stunning spiral galaxy that is notable for its well-defined structure, featuring a bright central core surrounded by tightly wound spiral arms. 

These arms are filled with young, hot stars and interstellar gas, indicating active star formation. 

Captured by the Webb Telescope’s MIRI and NIRCam instruments, the image reveals the galaxy’s winding spiral arms and the swirling gas and dust of its disc in magnificent and unique detail, noted ESA. 

Observations of NGC 2090

The galaxy’s spiral pattern is relatively symmetrical, making it a fascinating object of study for astronomers interested in galactic evolution and dynamics. 

Observations of NGC 2090, including those conducted by the Hubble Space Telescope, have provided valuable insights into the properties of its stellar populations, gas content, and the nature of its spiral structure.

“NGC 2090 was one of many galaxies studied by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to refine the measurement of the Universe’s expansion rate, or ‘Hubble constant,’” said ESA. 

“This can be done by observing a special type of variable stars named ‘Cepheids’ in relatively nearby galaxies.”

New insights into NGC 2090

A Cepheid-based measurement from 1998 indicated that NGC 2090 is 37 million light-years away from Earth. However, the latest measurements suggest that the galaxy is 40 million light-years away.

“Already before that Hubble project in 1998, NGC 2090 had been well studied as a very prominent nearby example of star formation,” noted ESA. 

“Described as a ‘flocculent’ spiral, this galaxy has a patchy, dusty disc and arms that are flaky or not visible at all. We can see those patterns well in Hubble’s visible-light images. However, Webb’s NIRCam near-infrared data reveal the spiral arms with remarkable clarity.” 

What are spiral galaxies?

Spiral galaxies are among the most common and visually striking types of galaxies in the universe. 

They are characterized by their flat, disk-like shape with a bright central bulge surrounded by sweeping spiral arms. 

Spiral arms and central bulge 

The arms of a spiral galaxy are regions where stars, gas, and dust are concentrated, often glowing brightly with the light of young, hot stars that form within them. 

The central bulge typically contains older stars and can host a supermassive black hole at its core. 

Types of spiral galaxies 

Spiral galaxies are classified into different types based on how tightly their arms are wound and the size of their central bulge, ranging from tightly wound “Sa” galaxies to loosely wound “Sc” types.

Star formation 

The structure of spiral galaxies is maintained by the interplay of gravity and angular momentum, with a rotating disk of stars and gas giving rise to their iconic shape. 

They are active sites of star formation due to the abundance of gas in their arms. 

Spiral galaxies often have a halo of older stars and globular clusters surrounding their disks, which provides clues about their formation and evolution. 

Barred spiral galaxy

The Milky Way, the galaxy that contains our Solar System, is a prime example of a barred spiral galaxy, a subtype where a bar-shaped structure of stars extends from the central bulge. 

The constellation Columba 

Columba is a small and relatively faint constellation in the southern sky, whose name means “dove” in Latin. It was introduced in the late 16th century by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius and first appeared in a celestial atlas by Johann Bayer in 1603. 

The constellation is said to represent the dove sent out by Noah during the biblical flood, tying it to themes of hope and peace.

Columba lies near the larger constellation Canis Major and is bordered by others such as Lepus and Puppis. 

Although it lacks particularly bright stars, its most notable star, Alpha Columbae (also called Phact), shines at a magnitude of approximately 2.6 and is a hot blue-white star. Beta Columbae, another prominent star in the constellation, is a slightly cooler, yellow-white star.

The constellation is best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere during the summer months, though it can also be seen from lower latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Image Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope 

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