Galactic Get-Together

The chaotic merging galaxies II ZW 96 have been examined in two distinct wavelengths in these images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.

The image on the left was taken by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and gives a view over the visible-light spectrum of this merger, clearly showing the starburst systems that have formed between the two galactic cores with their older stars. Learn more about this image here.

On the right, Webb’s image from the Near-InfraRed Camera shines particularly brightly in infrared light. The star-forming regions which have been activated by the galactic tumult are particularly luminous in the infrared, which placed ZW II 96 as one of Webb’s first targets. Learn more about this image here.