Spiral galaxy NGC 628 is located 32 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces. Webb’s image of his NGC 628 shows a dense facial spiral galaxy fixed in the central region, with a light blue haze occupying about a quarter of the field of view. This circular core has the brightest blue area. Within the central core is a population of old stars, represented by many pinpoints of blue light. Spiny spiral arms of stars, gas, and dust also originate from the center and into larger areas of primarily blue haze. The spiral arm extends to the end and rotates counterclockwise. The spiral thread-like structure resembles a cross-section of a nautilus shell. Most of the galaxy’s arms are orange, ranging from dark orange to bright orange. Scattered throughout the dense scene are several more pinpoints of bright blue light, which are stars spread across the galaxy. Areas with less orange are darker, and some dark areas appear more circular. A noticeable black “bubble” will appear in the upper left corner of the blue core. And in the bottom right there is a wide oval “bubble”.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), and the PHANGS team