Galaxy's 'hidden flesh' captured by infrared, stars shine in millions of colors

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has peered through the dusty veil of the Centaurus A galaxy, revealing its obscured core in unprecedented detail. Located 11 million light-years away, Centaurus A has long been a mystery, with thick dust clouds blocking visible light and concealing the dynamic processes within its center.

Using its powerful mid-infrared instrument, JWST captured images that penetrate these dust clouds, showcasing a dense cluster of millions of stars. What previously appeared as a hazy mass is now revealed as a vibrant structure where each star displays its unique color. The composite image, combining data from JWST's near-infrared and mid-infrared cameras, highlights the bright galactic center and an orange dust lane forming a distinctive parallelogram shape.

Central to the image is the supermassive black hole at the galaxy's core, which influences its structure by drawing in surrounding matter and emitting powerful jets. JWST's observations also identified S-shaped structures and the parallelogram dust lane, believed to be remnants of a colossal collision with another galaxy 2 billion years ago. These findings raise questions about the formation of these structures and the black hole's role in shaping them.

Red dots in the mid-infrared image signify dusty star-forming regions, where aging stars release material and new stars are born. This material is crucial for the galaxy's life cycle, serving as the building blocks for future stars and planets. NASA describes the analysis of these high-resolution images as akin to "galactic archaeology," offering a new window into the galaxy's structure and evolution that was previously inaccessible.

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We can't hear all the stories of the universe with just one telescope. But Webb, through a window we couldn't use before, has allowed us to reveal the structure and evolution of galaxies that we couldn't see before.