Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2022

MAY-JUNE 2022 T his image shows a wide-field view around Arp 143. [ESA/Hub- ble, Digitized Sky Survey 2. Acknow- ledgement: Davide De Martin] Z oom into Arp 143. [NASA, ESA, STScI, and J. Dalcanton (Center for Computa- tional Astrophysics/Flatiron Institute, UWashington)] way, Hubble and Webb will provide the full census of stars in NGC 2445. The census will help astronomers an- swer questions such as what the star-formation rate is, how long it takes for stars to form, and whether the starburst in NGC 2445 is fading or just heating up. Studying young, massive star clusters still embedded in their dust and gas cocoons is important for under- standing how star formation affects the evolution of galaxies. Massive stars that explode as supernovae en- rich their environment with chemi- cal elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. The Arp 143 system is listed in a compendium of 338 un- usual-looking interacting galaxies called the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies published in 1966 by astronomer Halton Arp. ! the centre, which can trigger the birth of new stars. Outflows from these stars can drive material out, but the dust created by these out- bursts blankets the core and other regions throughout NGC 2445, mak- ing it difficult for Hubble to study in visible light. However, the NASA/ ESA/CSA James Webb Space Tele- scope will have the infrared vision to peer through the dust covering these regions to reveal the young star clusters that are hidden from view in visible-light images. In this