NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the spiral galaxy Messier 77 (M77), highlighting its intensely bright active galactic nucleus. The galaxy, located 45 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus, is one of the most well-studied galaxies due to its proximity and brightness.
The image, released on May 7, 2026, shows the galaxy's core outshining its spiral arms in infrared wavelengths, revealing details of the dust and gas surrounding the supermassive black hole at its center. M77 is classified as a Seyfert galaxy, known for its extremely luminous nucleus powered by an active black hole.
Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) were used to capture the image, providing astronomers with new data on the structure and composition of the galaxy's inner regions. The observation is part of a broader effort to study the feedback mechanisms between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.
