NASA released new James Webb Space Telescope images of Centaurus A, a galaxy formed through a cosmic collision, to mark the telescope's fourth science anniversary.
Centaurus A's center is hidden behind thick dust lanes when viewed in visible light, NASA said. Webb operates across near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths, and that sensitivity allows it to see through those dust lanes, giving astronomers a view of the galaxy's interior that was not previously possible.
According to NASA, the new images show Centaurus A to be far more complex than earlier observations had indicated. The agency described Webb's view as richer than anything captured before, revealing structure and detail that prior telescopes could not resolve through the obscuring dust.
The images mark four years since Webb began its science operations. NASA's release ties the anniversary to one of the telescope's clearest demonstrations of its infrared capability, showing how a galaxy shaped by a collision between two earlier galaxies carries internal complexity that only becomes visible once the dust is penetrated.