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This is Arp 142,

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also affectionately known

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as the Penguin and the Egg.

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In this stunning image,

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we witness two interacting galaxies:

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NGC 2936 and NGC 2937.

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The nickname comes

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from their remarkable

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resemblance to these objects.

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Arp 142 is located 326 million

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light-years from Earth

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in the constellation

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Hydra, about 130 times farther away

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than Andromeda,

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our nearest galactic neighbor.

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While our Milky Way

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and Andromeda

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are separated by about 2.5

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million light-years,

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The Penguin and the Egg are about 100,000

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light-years apart —

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relatively close in astronomical terms.

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The Penguin is somewhat larger

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across than the Milky Way,

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and the Egg is much more compact.

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Over the next several

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hundreds of millions of years,

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these galaxies

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will merge into a single entity,

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creating a dramatic

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(yet very gradual) cosmic event.

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This image vividly

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highlights the interaction

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between the two galaxies.

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The Penguin galaxy,

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originally a spiral

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like our Milky Way,

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has become significantly more

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distorted than the Egg,

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an elliptical galaxy,

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due to their cosmic encounter.

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Compared to previous images,

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like this one

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from the Hubble Space Telescope,

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This new view

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from the

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Webb Space Telescope offers

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a different perspective.

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In this image,

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we see a blue haze around the Penguin.

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The haze is a result of the two

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galaxies mingling.

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The Penguin's tail brims

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with a stunning mix of distant

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background galaxies,

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gas, dust,

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and the glow of newly formed stars.

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The beak is a region rich

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with gas

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and dust.

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As a spiral-elliptical galaxy

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interaction, NGC 2936 stands out

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because of its active 

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star-forming regions.

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The beak of the Penguin is

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the brightest starburst area.

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This image highlights

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the important role

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that mergers play in

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how galaxies evolve over time.

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Before their interaction,

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the Penguin galaxy had a spiral shape.

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In this image,

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we can still see that original shape

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in the eye of the Penguin,

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which was the bulge,

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or center, of the spiral galaxy.

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The Egg is an elliptical galaxy

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filled with aging stars.

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This galaxy remains

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less distorted than the Penguin

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because of its compact

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structure and lower

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amounts of gas and dust.

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Although this image focuses

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on two distinct galaxies,

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a third galaxy attempts

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to steal the show.

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In the top right,

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we can see this spiral galaxy

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cataloged as PGC 1237172.

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This galaxy was barely visible

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in the mid-infrared image alone,

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but stands out

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clearly in the composite image.

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Although the galaxy appears

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prominently here, it's

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not part of Arp 142.

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This foreground galaxy is much closer

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to us.

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The largest stars near

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the galaxy are also closer

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than they appear.

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These stars are local interlopers — stars

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from our own galaxy

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that just happened to be

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in the same line of sight.

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These interloping

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stars are only thousands

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of light-years away,

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while the galaxy is about 230 million

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light-years distant.

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These objects

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offer a fascinating perspective

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on the vastness of space.

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Another noticeable

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feature is the color differences

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between the near-infrared

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and mid-infrared views.

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The different colors are due to

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how different

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combinations of distance

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and dust show up in different

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wavelengths of light.

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Notice

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that if a dot has diffraction spikes,

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we can identify it as a star

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rather than a galaxy.

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There are more wonders

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present than we can see.

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Many regions in this image likely

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contain newly forming stars

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and exoplanets,

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though they are too far away

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to see directly.

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This phenomenon, common in all galaxies,

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is especially fascinating here

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because the merger has created

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new areas for star and planet formation.

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As Webb continues its observations,

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we can expect more groundbreaking

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discoveries and a deeper

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understanding of our universe.