                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2026 February 26

                          Webb and Hubble: IC 5332
      Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST and
                              PHANGS-HST Teams
             Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

   Explanation: What does the universe look like through infrared goggles?
   Our eyes can only see visible light, but astronomers want to see more.
   Today’s APOD shows spiral galaxy IC 5332 as seen by two NASA
   telescopes: Webb in mid-infrared and Hubble in ultraviolet and visible
   light. To toggle between the two space-based views just slide your
   cursor over the image (or follow this link). The Hubble image
   highlights the spiral arms of the galaxy separated by dark regions,
   whereas the Webb image reveals a finer, more tangled structure.
   Interstellar dust scatters and absorbs light from the stars in the
   galaxy, causing the dark dust lanes in the Hubble image, and then emits
   heat in infrared light, so dust glows in this Webb image. The
   Mid-InfraRed Instrument on Webb needs to operate at a chilling
   temperature of -266ºC (or - 447ºF), otherwise it would detect infrared
   radiation from the telescope itself. Combining these observations,
   astronomers connect the “small scale” of gas and stars to the truly
   large scale of galactic structure and evolution.

                 Tomorrow's picture: invertebrates in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

