Interacting galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 in Canis Major
February 2025 - Picture of the Month
Unfortunately I didn't manage to get permission to use the image I'd originally hoped to feature, perhaps that object will appear another time. But this image of a pair of merging galaxies from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) using its mid-infrared MIRI instrument isn't a bad alternative, is it?
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has previously imaged NGC 2207 and IC 2163 with wonderful results, but this infrared image strips away the obscuring layers of dust and gas to reveal the extent of the star formation in these two galaxies. I think that this lends this image a skeletal feel around the galactic cores, especially when compared with the outrageously colourful HST version.
It's my understanding that the "senior" partner here is NGC 2207 on the right, and also in the foreground, which has just started the process of stripping the gas from IC 2163 in the upper left. The JWST image above shows the position of bright new star clusters in both galaxies, one of the brightest of which is a starburst region in the lower right, on the end of the outer arm of NGC 2207. Much of this activity has been stimulated by IC 2163's first pass in this merger which is taking place about 114 million light-years away. As a result these galaxies have provided seven supernovae since 1975, five of which have been recorded this century.
Naturally the HST and JWST images have been combined to provide a highly detailed view of the scene. I particularly enjoyed the "slider" that provides a much better comparison of the action.
James Whinfrey - Website Administrator.
