# @nasa on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CgwolUZuyEk
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11732736-nasa-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/d0fd75bf21.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-08-02T14:08:15.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NASA (@NASA) — https://gondola.cc/NASA

## Caption

Time to reinvent the wheel.⁣⁣
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Here’s a brand new image of the Cartwheel Galaxy as seen by the NASAWebb telescope. Webb offers not just a snapshot of the galaxy’s current state, but also a peek into its past and future.⁣⁣
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We believe this galaxy started as a spiral galaxy before it collided with a smaller galaxy hundreds of millions of years ago. Now, it’s made up of 2 rings — a bright inner ring and a surrounding, colorful ring. Both expand outwards from the center like pond ripples.⁣⁣
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This image is a composite view that combines the data from two of Webb’s instruments, NIRCam and MIRI. While Webb’s NIRCam reveals previously unseen young stars, MIRI reveals regions rich in hydrocarbons and chemical compounds, as well as silicate dust — similar to dust on Earth. Read more about this galaxy at the link in NASAWebb’s bio.⁣⁣
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Alt text:⁣⁣ A large galaxy on the right, with two much smaller companion galaxies to the left at 10 o’clock and 9 o’clock. The large galaxy resembles a speckled wheel, with an oval outer ring and a small, off-center inner ring. The outer ring contains pink plumes like wheel spokes, with dusty blue regions in between. The pink areas are silicate dust, while the blue areas are pockets of young stars and hydrocarbon dust. The inner ring is smoother, filled in with a more uniform pale pink. This smaller ring is interwoven with thin, orange-pink threads. On the galaxy's right edge, a bright white star with 8 diffraction spikes shines. The two companion galaxies to the left, one above the other, are about the same size and both spiral galaxies. The galaxy above is a reverse S shape but similar in coloring and texture as the large ring galaxy. The galaxy below is smoother and largely white, with a blue tinge. The background is black and full of more distant, orange-red colored galaxies of various sizes.⁣⁣
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Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team ⁣⁣
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#NASA #NASAWebb #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #Cartwheel #Galaxy #Space #Astronomy #Stars

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## Tags

jameswebbspacetelescope, nasawebb, nasa, space, galaxy, cartwheel, stars, jwst, astronomy

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