Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows. Chevron right
Recovery teams, displaced residents in Texas face brutal heat. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

71°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

71°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Astronomy

Astronomers using James Webb Telescope observe 'merging of galaxies'

An international team of scientists discovered the merging of galaxies using images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, the latest of numerous jaw-dropping images since its launch in 2021.

By Joe Fisher, UPI

Published Oct 21, 2022 10:06 AM EDT | Updated Oct 21, 2022 10:06 AM EDT

Copied

Partner Content

UPI

Oct. 20 (UPI) -- An international team of scientists discovered the merging of galaxies using images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA reported Thursday.

The telescope has captured numerous jaw-dropping images since its deployment in last December. According to research published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, one of the latest images reveals galaxies in transition.

A cluster of at least three galaxies swirl around a red quasar -- a bright, galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive blackhole. The report from NASA said this new revelation will "expand our understanding of how galaxy clusters in the early universe came together and formed the cosmic web we see today."

"With previous images, we thought we saw hints that the galaxy was possibly interacting with other galaxies on the path to merger because their shapes get distorted in the process and we thought we maybe saw that," said co-principal investigator Nadia L. Zakamska, a Johns Hopkins astrophysicist and one of the founders of the project. "But after we got the Webb data, I was like, 'I have no idea what we're even looking at here, what is all this stuff!' We spent several weeks just staring and staring at these images."

New images of gas in motion around "an extremely red quasar" are observed with the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA released these images Thursday along with a report explaining that at least three galaxies are merging near a supermassive blackhole. Photo courtesy of NASA/ESA

Zakamska called the blackhole a "monster." NASA said it is one of the most powerful "known galactic nuclei that's been seen at such an extreme distance." It is estimated to be 11.5 billion years old.

Andrey Vayner, a co-author of the study and graduate student who studies the evolution of galaxies, reviewed the data when it arrived.

"We think something dramatic is about to happen in these systems," said co-author Andrey Vayner, a Johns Hopkins postdoctoral fellow who studies the evolution of galaxies. "The galaxy is at this perfect moment in its lifetime, about to transform and look entirely different in a few billion years."

An illustration depicts the James Webb Space Telescope fully deployed in space. Image courtesy of NASA

The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope previously observed this region of space and found some evidence of a galaxy evolving. It was not until the clear, crisp images from the James Webb telescope revealed a better look that researchers recognized multiple galaxies in that area.

The James Webb Space Telescope program is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory plays a leading role in the program's research team.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows

Jul. 10, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Abandoned cars submerged by severe flooding in North Carolina

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Texas Hill Country recovery, cleanup teams to face brutal July weather

16 hours ago

Weather News

State inspection before floods found Camp Mystic had emergency plan

21 hours ago

Weather News

Deadly flash flooding devastates wildfire-scarred New Mexico town

9 hours ago

Astronomy

1st full moon of summer to rise Thursday night

1 day ago

Weather News

Most Texas flood victims face devastation without flood insurance

18 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

15 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Floodwater rising in your house? Do this

2 days ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

15 hours ago

Weather News

Earthquake swarm detected at Mount Rainier, biggest since 2009

20 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

15 hours ago

AccuWeather Astronomy Astronomers using James Webb Telescope observe 'merging of galaxies'
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...