James Webb images Messier 77 galaxy

NASA and its James Webb Space Telescope partners released a new infrared view of Messier 77 in early May, adding a fresh close-up of one of the nearest and best-studied active galaxies. The image shows the barred spiral galaxy’s dust-filled disc, bright central region and spiral structure in infrared wavelengths that are not visible in ordinary optical pictures. ESA, which published the image as Webb’s “Picture of the Month” on May 7, said Messier 77 lies about 45 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Cetus. ### When was this image actually released? ESA dated the Messier 77 image pages May 7, 2026, not May 17. The agency published a mid-infrared view, a near-infrared view and a combined MIRI-plus-NIRCam page as part of the NASA/ESA/CSA Webb program. People magazine appears to have republished or featured the image on May 17 in an entertainment and science-style article, but the underlying Webb release was already online more than a week earlier, according to ESA’s dated image pages and Associated Press coverage published May 8. (esawebb.org) ### What does the new Webb image show inside Messier 77? (esa.int) Messier 77 is a barred spiral galaxy with a compact, intensely bright center that outshines the rest of the galaxy combined, ESA said. That central source is an active galactic nucleus, or AGN, powered by a supermassive black hole about eight million times the mass of the Sun. ESA said Webb’s infrared data highlights the galaxy’s swirling spiral arms, dust in its disc and bright core “like never before.” In the near-infrared view, NIRCam also reveals a bar crossing the central region that does not appear in visible-light images, according to the agency. (esa.int) ### Why are there bright spikes shooting out from the center? ESA said the orange rays around the center are diffraction spikes caused by the telescope’s optics, not structures inside the galaxy itself. (esawebb.org) The effect appears when light from a very bright, compact source is bent at the edges of Webb’s hexagonal mirror panels and around the support struts for its secondary mirror. The six-plus-two-pointed pattern is familiar in Webb imagery, but ESA said it usually shows up around stars. In Messier 77, the nucleus is bright and compact enough to create the same effect. ### Why do astronomers care about Messier 77 in particular? ESA described Messier 77 as both relatively nearby and rich in features that make it useful for study. The galaxy is known not only for its active nucleus but also for prolific star formation, with the bar helping channel material through the dense central region. (esawebb.org) The observing data used for the NIRCam image came from program No. 3707, which surveyed massive, nearby, star-forming galaxies to build a dataset for multiple scientific investigations, ESA said. (esawebb.org) ### Which Webb instruments were used here? ESA said the Messier 77 release included imagery from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI, and its Near-Infrared Camera, or NIRCam. (esawebb.org) The MIRI image emphasizes dust and the bright active core, while the NIRCam view brings out the bar structure, star-forming regions and infrared emission from molecules in the spiral arms. (esa.int) NASA’s Webb image gallery lists current mission imagery and links to downloadable versions of released pictures, including 2026 entries. ESA’s image pages separately host the Messier 77 MIRI, NIRCam and combined releases dated May 7. ### Where can readers find the official material next? NASA’s Webb image gallery remains the central index for newly posted mission images, while ESA’s Messier 77 pages provide the object details, instrument labels and downloadable files for this release. (esawebb.org) Readers looking for the official source should use those NASA and ESA Webb pages rather than later pickup stories. (science.nasa.gov)