NGC 3256, a starburst galaxy in the Vela constellation, is a remarkable system located 122 million light-years away. It consists of two gas-rich disk galaxies in the late stages of a major merger, making it one of the brightest nearby galaxies.
The galaxy’s appearance is characterized by complex and tidally disturbed features, including distorted spiral arms and prominent dust lanes. Previous studies have revealed the presence of two nuclei within NGC 3256: a visible northern nucleus with signs of starburst activity, and a heavily obscured, low-luminosity southern nucleus or a nascent active galactic nucleus (AGN). Additionally, astronomers have detected molecular hydrogen outflows originating from these nuclei.
A team of researchers, led by Thomas Bohn of Hiroshima University in Japan, recently conducted a study to investigate these outflows in NGC 3256. Their goal was to analyze the kinematics and energetics of the outflows and assess their impact on the local interstellar medium (ISM) using JWST’s Near-InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
“With JWST, we can now conduct the most detailed, spatially resolved analysis of outflowing warm H2 gas in NGC 3256 to date. The unprecedented spatial resolution of JWST allows us to examine the warm H2 component on scales of ∼40–100 pc,” the researchers explained.
2024-04-01 10:51:03
Original from phys.org
