Panv video: NGC 2566 (NIRCam and MIRI image)

The galaxy filling the frame in this NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month is NGC 2566, a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Puppis. The image combines observations from two of Webb’s instruments, the Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), to show off NGC 2566’s well-defined spiral arms, long central bar and delicate tracery of gas, dust and stars.

At 76 million light-years away, NGC 2566 is considered a nearby galaxy, making it an excellent target for studying fine details like star clusters and gas clouds. The new Webb images of NGC 2566 were collected as part of an observing programme (#3707) dedicated to understanding the connections between stars, gas and dust in nearby star-forming galaxies. NGC 2566 is just one of the 55 galaxies in the local Universe examined by Webb for this programme.

The mid-infrared wavelengths captured by MIRI highlight NGC 2566’s warm interstellar dust, including complex, sooty molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The near-infrared NIRCam data give a detailed view of the galaxy’s stars, even those that are deeply embedded within clouds of gas. The NIRCam data also capture some of the light from the hydrocarbon molecules.