Stellar Cycles in Spiral Galaxy NGC 2283

Spiral galaxy NGC 2283 glows with intricate structure in this image, located about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. Its central bar of stars stretches across the core, surrounded by delicately wound spiral arms traced by clusters of young, blue-white stars and glowing clouds of gas and dust.

Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) combined data from six filters over 17 minutes to create this detailed view. The image reveals light from hydrogen gas heated by newborn stars and emissions from complex carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are important for studying cosmic chemistry. The large, brilliant stars with sharp diffraction spikes in the foreground belong to our own Milky Way.

NGC 2283 is part of a Webb observing program exploring how stars, gas, and dust interact within nearby star-forming galaxies. Its bright knots of gas and light mark regions where new stars are forming, while past stellar explosions have already scattered heavy elements into the surrounding medium. One such event, supernova SN 2023AXU, erupted here in early 2023—a vivid reminder of the cycle of stellar birth, death, and renewal shaping galaxies like this one.