Halloween from space: Galactic duo emerges as creepy eyes staring from space

These sinister yet hauntingly beautiful eyes appear in a new Halloween-themed image, using data from both the Hubble Space Telescope and the world’s most expensive space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope. They are actually the galaxy pair IC 2163 (left) and NGC 2207 (right) interacting and moving closer to form a galaxy cluster with many interesting features.

In reality, these two galaxies won’t collide directly, as one passes in front of the other. However, the interaction is close enough for the light from the two galaxies to interfere with each other, creating some rare effects. If you look closely at the galaxy on the left, you can see how its spiral arms have been stretched out into elongated shapes, likely due to its close passage into the gravitational pull of the other nearby galaxy. The bright red lines around the “eyes” are created by shockwaves, as material from each galaxy collides with the other.

While this interaction may sound violent, it also helps spur star formation. That’s because the force of gravity pulling on the dust and gas in each galaxy can create compressed regions where the higher density makes it more likely for clumps to form, eventually turning into stars. This process creates bright, young stars that shine throughout both galaxies.

“Both galaxies have high rates of star formation, like countless individual hearts pulsing throughout their arms, ” explains James Webb, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. “IC 2163 and NGC 2207 produce about two dozen new Sun-sized stars each year. By comparison, our own Milky Way galaxy produces only about two or three new Sun-like stars each year. In addition, the two galaxies have also hosted seven known supernova events in recent decades, a high number compared to an average of one every 50 years in the Milky Way. Each supernova would have cleared space in the galaxy’s arms, rearranging gas and dust, then cooling and allowing more new stars to form .”

Halloween from space: Galactic duo emerges as creepy eyes staring from space
The image combines infrared light from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and visible and ultraviolet light from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The pair passed each other millions of years ago. The smaller spiral galaxy on the left, catalogued as IC 2163, passed behind NGC 2207, the larger spiral galaxy on the right. Both have increased star formation rates. Combined, they are estimated to produce the equivalent of two dozen new stars the size of the Sun each year.

You can see the star-forming regions by looking at the glowing blue regions (from Hubble data) and the pink and white regions (from James Webb data). The two telescopes produce images that look different because they operate at different wavelengths. Hubble looks at the visible light spectrum, similar to what the human eye sees, while Webb looks in the infrared, seeing things we can't and highlighting the busy "starburst" regions where lots of new stars are forming.

Sign up and earn $1000 a day ⋙

Leave a Comment

Full Fisch Roblox giftcode latest 04/25/2025 and how to redeem code

Full Fisch Roblox giftcode latest 04/25/2025 and how to redeem code

Like many other Roblox games, you will also have many attractive rewards by redeeming Fisch Roblox codes.

Code I am the newest little fairy

Code I am the newest little fairy

Code Ta is a little fairy that supports players when they start as a newbie. Players will receive many rewards such as gold, number of peaks opened and many other valuable rewards.

Good quotes about women, good quotes about modern, strong women

Good quotes about women, good quotes about modern, strong women

There are many quotes about women on the Internet. This article will summarize for you good quotes and proverbs about women.

How to present strengths and weaknesses in an interview

How to present strengths and weaknesses in an interview

Preparing for an interview by honestly assessing your skills is essential. This article will guide you on how to present your strengths and weaknesses to get good results when applying for a job.

Meta Launches Llama 4: The Ultimate Multi-modal LLM

Meta Launches Llama 4: The Ultimate Multi-modal LLM

This series includes three versions: Llama 4 Scout, Llama 4 Maverick and Llama 4 Behemoth.

Nvidia Officially Open Sources PhysX and Flow

Nvidia Officially Open Sources PhysX and Flow

In June 2024, Nvidia announced the full open source GPU code for its flagship physics simulation engine, PhysX SDK, including previously unreleased GPU simulation cores. The move is expected to spur innovation in GPU-accelerated computing.

Things that can make you look older than your actual age

Things that can make you look older than your actual age

Aging is inevitable, but there are certain habits that can speed up the process without you even realizing it.

Signs she is ready for him to hold her hand

Signs she is ready for him to hold her hand

Holding hands is the best way to show that you like her. This article will summarize for you the signs that your girlfriend is ready for you to hold her hand.

South Korea develops battery technology that charges in seconds

South Korea develops battery technology that charges in seconds

A new sodium-ion battery developed by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) can be fully charged in just a few seconds, opening up new hope for a breakthrough in battery charging technology.

Chinas space station attacked by space junk

Chinas space station attacked by space junk

A piece of space debris accidentally entered and severed the electrical cable connecting the core module's solar panels.

Anonymous structures and fields in Golang

Anonymous structures and fields in Golang

Anonymous structs in Golang are temporary structures with no names used for one-time purposes, while anonymous fields allow embedding of unnamed fields.

Filling up the tank is foolish, it will damage your car, waste money and pollute the environment.

Filling up the tank is foolish, it will damage your car, waste money and pollute the environment.

Many people often have the habit of filling up the gas tank to be able to travel a longer distance without knowing that this is unsafe, can easily cause fire or explosion, pollutes the environment and affects the paint of the car.

How to Turn Off Threads Notifications on Instagram

How to Turn Off Threads Notifications on Instagram

Are you getting Threads notifications on your Instagram? It can definitely be annoying when you get too many Threads notifications on Instagram.

How to Show File Explorer Preview Pane on Windows 10/11

How to Show File Explorer Preview Pane on Windows 10/11

It's easy to preview files without opening them in Windows 10 thanks to the Preview Pane feature in File Explorer. You can see thumbnails of most images, videos, audio files, and some text-based documents.

How to Use Bixby Routines on Samsung

How to Use Bixby Routines on Samsung

Bixby Routines on Samsung uses AI technology to perform automated actions like automatically muting, turning on night mode, and turning off mobile data on your Samsung phone at night…