Webb Discovers Another Cosmic Question Mark-Shaped Galaxy

As scientists use the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to answer some of the Universe’s most pressing questions, they’ve also uncovered new questions, including literal question mark-shaped cosmic objects.

This isn’t the first time Webb has seen something shaped like a question mark in space. In July 2023, when observing Herbig-Haro 46/47, Webb located a question mark-shaped object, which scientists at the Space Science Telescope Institute (STScI) in Baltimore told PetaPixel were likely a park of distant, merging galaxies.

Herbig-Haro 46/47 as seen by Webb’s NIRCam instrument. The red square shows where the cosmic question mark is located. Download the full-resolution version from STScI. | Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA / Image processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA / Image processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

The case of the new cosmic question mark, located in the galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154, is the result of time-space distortions. The cluster is so massive that “it is warping the fabric of space-time and distorting the appearance of galaxies behind it,” NASA explains.

‘The galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154 is so massive it is warping the fabric of space-time and distorting the appearance of galaxies behind it, an effect known as gravitational lensing. This natural phenomenon magnifies distant galaxies and can also make them appear in an image multiple times, as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope saw here. Two distant, interacting galaxies — a face-on spiral and a dusty red galaxy seen from the side — appear multiple times, tracing a familiar shape across the sky. Active star formation, and the face-on galaxy’s remarkably intact spiral shape, indicate that these galaxies’ interaction is just beginning.’ | Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Vicente Estrada-Carpenter (Saint Mary’s University)

The Hubble Space Telescope has previously observed this region, and Webb’s different imaging capabilities provided a fresh, detailed perspective. Since Webb can detect longer wavelengths of light than Hubble, it is able to peer through cosmic dust and see what’s behind it.

When Hubble viewed MACS-J0417.5-1154, it observed a few galaxies seemingly interacting with each other — or at least being affected by gravitational lensing, which occurs when extremely massive objects magnify and distort distant light. However, when Webb peered into the cosmos, it saw red tendrils connecting multiple galaxies, forming a question mark.

Hubble has also viewed the galaxy cluster (left). Compared to Webb’s view (right), Webb is much better able to peer through the cosmic dust and see the star formation in the galaxy cluster. | Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Vicente Estrada-Carpenter (Saint Mary’s University)

“This is just cool looking. Amazing images like this are why I got into astronomy when I was young,” says astronomer Marcin Sawicki of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, one of the lead researchers on the team.

“Knowing when, where, and how star formation occurs within galaxies is crucial to understanding how galaxies have evolved over the history of the universe,” explains astronomer Vicente Estrada-Carpenter of Saint Mary’s University, who used Hubble’s ultraviolet and Webb’s infrared data to look where new stars are forming in the observed galaxy.

A wide-field view of MACS-J0417.5-1154 as captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. | Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Vicente Estrada-Carpenter (Saint Mary’s University)

“Both galaxies in the Question Mark Pair show active star formation in several compact regions, likely a result of gas from the two galaxies colliding,” Estrada-Carpenter adds.

“However, neither galaxy’s shape appears too disrupted, so we are probably seeing the beginning of their interaction with each other.”

Image credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Vicente Estrada-Carpenter (Saint Mary’s University)