NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is back with another stunner: a new 223-megapixel composite featuring about 16.5 million stars that have been evolving over several million years. Captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) across 65 hours, the enormous image features Messier 82, also known as the Cigar galaxy, which is located 12 million light-years away.
“M82 is a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess,” said NASA fellow Adam Smercina. “We don’t fully understand what’s going on, especially concerning its evolutionary history. What could have triggered such an elevated rate of star formation? How long has this galaxy been driving plumes of material away from its center?”
Initial speculation includes a galaxy merger causing rapid star formation 10 times faster than that of the Milky Way and lasting a few hundred million years, which researchers describe as “a short-lived event in astronomical terms.” Although we can see many of these stellar objects as blue granules, there are likely many more invisible to us.
Hubble had previously looked at the galaxy, but the technology was unable to capture the same detail as Webb. As shown in a side-by-side comparison, Hubble captures many of the dust grains and ionized hydrogen gas depicted in red, orange, and yellow, while Webb highlights the staggering density of stars.
“Galaxies are such intricate ecosystems that if you truly want to understand them, you have to pull datasets from different missions together,” said Kristen McQuinn, of the Space Telescope Science Institute. “One mission cannot fully answer all of the questions we have about M82. Combining the data collected by different telescopes, like Webb and Hubble, is powerful. When you marry the datasets, you expand what you can probe, and the questions that you can pose are even more complex.”
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article In a New 223-Megapixel Image, NASA Captures 16.5 Million Stars of the Cigar Galaxy appeared first on Colossal.
RJ Scaringe says firms focused on selling fossil fuel engines risk being ‘woefully behind’ on technology by end of decade
Carmakers that focus on selling fossil fuel engines are at risk of being “woefully behind” on technology by the end of the decade, according to the boss of Rivian, an Amazon-backed US electric carmaker.
RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and chief executive, said the car industry has reached a “fork in the road” in the choice between short-term profits and the heavy investments, particularly in software, that will be required to survive.
Continue reading...Up to 97% of autistic people over 60 are undiagnosed. Experts offer up advice for family members on how to support this ‘neglected generation’
There has been a huge shift in awareness around neurodiversity recently, with improved provision for children in schools and increased middle-age diagnosis and detection in women. Still, one group has remained underserved when it comes to support; adults over 60. A recent study estimated that 89-97% of autistic people over 60 are undiagnosed, leading experts in the field, such as Dr Louise Rutter (who last year co-authored a report on the subject for the British Psychological Society) to brand them a “neglected generation”.
It’s an issue facing adult children who might be caring for older parents and recognising traits of autism and ADHD. You may be wondering where to find support – or whether that’s the best course of action (the experts say it is). Here’s a guide.
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Op het WK voetbal staat hij voor zijn grootste opgave als bondscoach. Wat is de reden dat veel spelers – en sommigen juist niet – blij zijn met Ronald Koeman? En waarom is loyaliteit zo belangrijk voor hem?
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Er zijn echt heel, HEUL veel goede Trump-imitators (zie internet), maar uiteraard kan niet iedereen een Trump-imitatie nailen. En waar de meeste mensen op zich wel weten waar hun talenten en zwaktes liggen, heeft Gordon geen flauw benul waartoe hij op aarde is. En omdat ie tussen alle depressies door niet meer weet wat ie dan met z'n leven aan moet en een serieus baantje hem al te veel werd, vindt hij zichzelf nu aangekleed en geschminkt als de Amerikaanse president in hartje hoofdstad. En dat ziet er even weerzinwekkend uit als dat het klinkt en het klinkt even monsterlijk als het eruitziet. Twee dagen geleden zei Gordon nog het volgende: "Wat ik wilde zeggen is dat ik zo graag zou willen dat Nederland weer een keertje trots op me is." Ja nou hebben wij wel even een vraagje voor Gordon: HOE VIND JE ZELF DAT HET GAAT?
SocialZeg Nederland, bent u een keertje trots op Gordon?
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