Messier 77: Stunning image shows spiral galaxy’s brilliant heart shining bright

Messier 77 is a barred spiral galaxy much appreciated by astronomers for its combination of relative proximity and spectacular features to study. Picture: Nasa/AP

A spiral galaxy’s brilliant heart outshines everything within sight in a new picture from Nasa’s Webb Space Telescope.

The image depicts the Messier 77 galaxy 45 million light-years away in the Cetus, or whale, constellation.

A light year is about six trillion miles.

The galaxy’s active nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole that is eight million times more massive than the Sun.

Surrounding gas is sucked into a tight orbit around the black hole, becoming so hot that it radiates in the extreme.

Webb’s mid-infrared instrument captured the stunning details.

The world’s largest and most powerful space telescope has been photographing the cosmos since launching in 2021.