James Webb Space Telescope captures galaxy from T. rex era

By Dean Murray

A galaxy whose light set out when Tyrannosaurus rex had just died out has been captured in striking detail by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Two instruments aboard the NASA/ESA/CSA observatory have created a jaw-dropping image revealing the structure of NGC 5134, a spiral galaxy 65 million light‑years away in Virgo.

The light in the image, captured on February 20, set out just after the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, offering a view from the deep past.

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ESA said: "Though 65 million light-years may seem like a huge distance – the light that Webb collected to create this image has been journeying to us from NGC 5134 since soon after Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct – NGC 5134 is fairly close by as far as galaxies go."

Despite the distance, its relative proximity allows Webb to pick out fine detail in its tightly wound arms. Webb’s MIRI shows warm dust and complex molecules across the galaxy’s clouds, while NIRCam highlights the stars and clusters embedded within them.

Studying nearby galaxies like NGC 5134 helps astronomers understand far more distant systems that appear only as faint points of light.