Webb telescope captures photo of ‘Cartwheel’ Galaxy

(Gray News) – The James Webb Space Telescope has captured new images of the Cartwheel Galaxy.

According to NASA, it’s a ring galaxy located 500 million light-years away that formed when a large spiral galaxy and a small galaxy violently collided.

The Cartwheel Galaxy has a bright inner ring and an active colorful ring surrounding it. NASA said the rings expand outwards from the center, “like ripples in a pond after a stone is tossed into it.”

The outer ring has a lot of star formations, and the dusty area in between reveals many stars and star clusters, NASA reports.

Astronomers call this a “ring galaxy” because of its distinctive features.

According to NASA, Webb’s observations show that the Cartwheel Galaxy is in a very transitory stage and will continue to transform over time.