Dwarf Galaxy WLM: Spitzer and Webb

This image shows a portion of the dwarf galaxy Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte (WLM) captured by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope’s Infrared Array Camera (left) and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (right). The images demonstrate Webb’s remarkable ability to resolve faint stars outside the Milky Way. The galaxy lies roughly 3 million light-years away.

This observation was taken as part of Webb’s Early Release Science (ERS) program 1334, focused on resolved stellar populations. The dwarf galaxy WLM was selected for this program as its gas is similar to that which made up galaxies in the early Universe and it is relatively nearby, meaning that Webb can differentiate between its individual stars. The gas in WLM is fairly unriched, chemically speaking, meaning that it is poor in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. Learn more about Webb’s research of the dwarf galaxy WLM here.

The Spitzer image shows 3.6-micron light in cyan and 4.5-micron in orange (IRAC1 and IRAC2). The Webb image includes 0.9-micron light shown in blue, 1.5-micron in cyan, 2.5-micron in yellow, and 4.3-micron in red (filters F090W, F150W, F250M, and F430M). 

Note: This image highlights Webb’s science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process.

[Image Description: Two images of the dwarf galaxy Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte (WLM) are shown. On the left is the image from the Spitzer Space Telescope and on the right is the image from the James Webb Space Telescope. The image on the right displays countless stars and dozens of galaxies in clearer detail than the image on the left, which appears more blurred and faint.]

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