Pan: Catching the edge of the Phantom Galaxy (NIRCam)

In August 2022, to mark the launch of the Picture of the Month series, ESA/Webb published a stunning image of the Phantom Galaxy (also known as M74 and NGC 628). Now, this series is revisiting the target to feature new data of this iconic spiral galaxy.

M74 resides around 32 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Pisces, and lies almost face-on to Earth. This, coupled with its well-defined spiral arms, makes it a favourite target for astronomers studying the origin and structure of galactic spirals. 

This image features data from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera). Observations in the infrared reveal the galaxy’s creeping tendrils of gas, dust and stars. In this image, the dark red features trace the filamentary warm dust, while red regions indicate gas ionised by the recently formed star clusters. Stellar feedback has a dramatic effect on the medium within the galaxy and creates a complex network of bright knots as well as cavernous black bubbles. M74 is a particular class of spiral galaxy known as a ‘grand design spiral’, meaning that its spiral arms are prominent and well-defined, unlike the patchy and ragged structure seen in some spiral galaxies.