A Tour of Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 5134 in Virgo | Webb Telescope

A Tour of Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 5134 in Virgo | Webb Telescope

Two powerful instruments of the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope joined forces to create this scenic galaxy view. This spiral galaxy is named NGC 5134, and it is located 65 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.

Though 65 million light-years may seem like a huge distance—the light that Webb collected to create this image has been journeying to us from NGC 5134 since soon after Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct—NGC 5134 is fairly close by as far as galaxies go. Due to the galaxy’s relative proximity, Webb can spot incredible details in its tightly wound spiral arms.

Webb’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) collects the mid-infrared light emitted by the warm dust that speckles NGC 5134’s interstellar clouds, tracing clumps and strands of dusty gas. Part of the dust is composed of complex organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, featuring interconnected rings of carbon atoms and provide a way for astronomers to study the chemistry happening in interstellar clouds. Webb’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) records shorter-wavelength near-infrared light, mostly from the stars and star clusters that dot the galaxy’s spiral arms.

Together, the MIRI and NIRCam data paint a portrait of a galaxy in constant ebb and flow. The gas clouds that billow along NGC 5134’s spiral arms are the sites of star formation, and each star that forms chips away at the galaxy’s supply of star-forming gas. When stars die, they recycle part of that gas back into the galaxy. Massive stars more than about eight times the mass of the Sun do so spectacularly, in cataclysmic supernova explosions that spread stellar material across hundreds of light-years.

Stars like the Sun give back a portion of their material as well, though more gently; these stars will balloon into bubbling red giants before shrugging off their atmospheres and sending them into space. Whether expelled by explosive supernovae or gentle red giants, this gas can then be incorporated into new stars.

Credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy
Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann
Editing: Nico Bartmann
Written by: Bethany Downer
Footage and photos: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Feb. 20, 2026

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