A cosmic masterpiece! 🌀 Say hello to NGC 2283, a stunning barred spiral galaxy just 45 million light-years away in Canis Major! Captured by esawebb’s Near-InfraRed Camera, this breathtaking image reveals a galaxy bursting with star-forming activity. Webb observed NGC 2283 for only 10 minutes, yet the details are incredible! The swirling arms are packed with glowing gas clouds, heated by young stars, while sooty molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons add to the cosmic glow. Those large, bright stars with striking diffraction spikes? They’re actually in our own Milky Way, sitting between us and the galaxy beyond. But there’s more! Just two years ago, a massive supernova (SN 2023AXU) erupted in this galaxy, marking the dramatic end of a giant star’s life. Supernovae like this are stellar recycling at its finest, enriching interstellar clouds with elements that will one day form new stars. NGC 2283 is part of an ambitious Webb programme studying 55 nearby galaxies, helping ...