A new Webb Space Telescope image released by NASA this week shows how power builds at the center of a galaxy—by focusing on the bright active core of the spiral galaxy Messier 77. The image depicts Messier 77, located roughly 45 million light-years away, in the Cetus, or whale, constellation.
Messier 77’s center stands out in the Webb view because it contains an active nucleus. In the interpretation tied to the image, a supermassive black hole drives the activity, with the black hole estimated to be about 8 million times more massive than the sun.
The explanation for the brightness centers on what happens to gas near that black hole. Surrounding gas is drawn into a tight orbit around the black hole, where it becomes so hot that it radiates at extreme energies.
The new picture is made possible by the telescope’s mid-infrared capability. The mid-infrared instrument aboard Webb captured the details seen in the galaxy’s brilliant heart.
Webb, NASA’s largest and most powerful space telescope, has been photographing the cosmos since launching in 2021, and the latest release adds another target to its ongoing observations.