At 3 million light-years from Earth, the isolated dwarf galaxy Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte has remained unchanged by interactions with other galaxies.
An image of the Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte dwarf galaxy captured by the James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera.McQuinn pointed out a second reason WLM is an intriguing target: its gas is very similar to that of galaxies in the early universe, without any elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.
In the JWST image of WLM, McQuinn described seeing an array of individual stars at different points in their evolution with a variety of colors, sizes, temperatures and ages. The image also shows clouds of molecular gas and dust, called nebulas, which contain the raw material for star formation within WLM. In background galaxies, JWST can spot fascinating features like massive tidal tails, which are structures made of stars, dust and gas created by gravitational interactions between galaxies.
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New James Webb Space Telescope image shows 'lonely' dwarf galaxy in striking detailThe image shows a panoply of stars within a lonely dwarf galaxy called Wolf - Lundmark - Melotte, which lies about 3 million light-years from our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and is about one-tenth the size.
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New James Webb Space Telescope image shows 'lonely' dwarf galaxy in striking detailThe image shows a panoply of stars within a lonely dwarf galaxy called Wolf - Lundmark - Melotte, which lies about 3 million light-years from our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and is about one-tenth the size.
Read more »
New James Webb Space Telescope image shows 'lonely' dwarf galaxy in striking detailThe image shows a panoply of stars within a lonely dwarf galaxy called Wolf - Lundmark - Melotte, which lies about 3 million light-years from our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and is about one-tenth the size.
Read more »
New James Webb Space Telescope image shows 'lonely' dwarf galaxy in striking detailThe image shows a panoply of stars within a lonely dwarf galaxy called Wolf - Lundmark - Melotte, which lies about 3 million light-years from our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and is about one-tenth the size.
Read more »
New James Webb Space Telescope image shows a secluded galaxy in stellar detailThe lonely dwarf galaxy could teach scientists about the early eras of our own Milky Way.
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