Hubble image archive
Galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 (Hubble and Webb Images Side by Side)
Caption These are two views of the same scene, each showing two overlapping spiral galaxies, IC 2163 at left and NGC 2207 at right. The Hubble Space Telescope’s ultraviolet- and visible-light observation is at left, and the James Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared light observat...
- Date
- Oct 31, 2024
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2024-136-01j9s5p7d668xgrwbna950csb2
Caption
These are two views of the same scene, each showing two overlapping spiral galaxies, IC 2163 at left and NGC 2207 at right. The Hubble Space Telescope’s ultraviolet- and visible-light observation is at left, and the James Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared light observation is at right.
In Hubble’s image, the star-filled spiral arms glow brightly in blue, and the galaxies’ cores in orange. Both galaxies are covered in dark brown dust lanes, which obscures the view of IC 2163’s core at left.
In Webb’s image, cold dust takes center stage, casting the galaxies’ arms in white. Areas where stars are still deeply embedded in the dust appear pink. Other pink regions may be objects that lie well behind these galaxies, including active supermassive black holes known as quasars.
Turn your eye toward the bottom right of the Webb image. The largest, brightest pink region that glimmers with eight prominent diffraction spikes is a mini starburst — a location where many stars are forming in quick succession. The same region in the Hubble image appears as a bright blue cluster of stars.
The lace-like holes in the white spiral arms of Webb’s images are often where supernovae exploded long ago. In the same regions, Hubble shows these areas are now populated with newer stars.
The black areas to upper right and lower left of the Hubble image do not contain any data.
Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | IC 2163 and NGC 2207 |
| Object Description | Spiral Galaxies |
| R.A. Position | 06:16:24.9 |
| Dec. Position | -21:22:26 |
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Distance | 114 million light-years |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | This image was created with Hubble data from proposal: 6483 (D. Elmegreen) and Webb data from proposal 6553 (M. Garcia Marin). Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) |
| Instrument | Hubble: WFPC2; Webb: MIRI |
| Exposure Dates | Hubble: May 25, 1996; November 11, 1998; Webb: January 26, February 2, 2024 |
| Filters | Hubble: F439W, F555W, F814W; Webb: F770W, F1130W, F1500W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes using Hubble's WFPC2 and Webb's MIRI instruments. Several filters were used to sample wide wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Hubble - Blue: F439W Green: F555W Red: F814W, Webb - Blue: F770W, Green: F1130W, Red: F1500W |
| About The Image | |
| Compass and Scale Image | An astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made. |
More Images From This Period
Downloads
- Full Res (For Display), 5076 X 1944, PNG (12.37 MB)
- Full Res (For Print), 5076 X 1944, TIF (14.76 MB)
- 2000 X 766, JPG (427.31 KB)
- Hubble Only - Full Res (For Display), 6353 X 2983, PNG (31.00 MB)
- Hubble Only - Full Res (For Print), 6353 X 2983, TIF (38.45 MB)
- Hubble Only, 2000 X 939, JPG (662.23 KB)
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov