A citizen scientist uncovered latest James Webb images of a sublime spiral galaxy

NGC 628 (pictured above) is located approximately 32 million light-years away from Earth, which is very close when compared to James Webb's other recent observation of a 13.5 billion-year-old galaxy. NGC 628 is a "grand design" spiral galaxy rich in a type of gas that is prominent in star-forming regions.

NGC 7469, meanwhile, is located 24 million light-years away and it is a barred spiral galaxy. Its spiral arms extend from a distinct bar that crosses the center of the galaxy. These types of galaxies are thought to be ripe for star formation.

James Webb versus Hubble

Interestingly, James Webb's and Hubble's images of the galaxies are complimentary. Hubble's images, though less sharp, aren't an out-and-out downgrade.

That's because Hubble is primarily an optical and ultraviolet observatory, while James Webb operates in infrared. This means that Hubble is better at observing the star-forming gas of these galaxies, while James Webb is incredibly adept at peering through gas clouds to the stars hidden behind.

This is particularly prevalent in the James Webb images, revealed last week, of the baby stars behind the "Cosmic Cliffs" of the Carina nebula. Once again, compared to Hubble, it's clear to see that James Webb is capable of peering through massive cosmic curtains to the starlight that would otherwise be hidden.

In the new images, it is clear to see that the $10 billion James Webb telescope is able to cut through much of the dust that got in Hubble's way, showing unprecedented new detail. James Webb has ushered in a bold new era of astronomy, and it's only just finished its first week of scientific observations. Over the next few years, Webb is expected to continue to shed new light on some of the first stars and galaxies that formed after the Big Bang.