Up to Speed

A Wheel in Space

The James Webb Space Telescope continues to provide astronomers with views of the cosmos that are unprecedented in detail, including this recent image of the Cartwheel Galaxy, located some 500 million light years away from Earth in the Sculptor constellation.

The Cartwheel Galaxy was once spiral-shaped, like our own Milky Way, until 700 to 800 million years ago, when a high-speed collision with a smaller galaxy left it forever changed. (For more about the study of cosmic collisions, see “Galactic Archaeology,” Winter 2022 issue.)

The Cartwheel’s most striking feature is its two rings that have been moving outward from the center of the collision like shockwaves. As the outer ring expands, it plows into surrounding gas and triggers the formation of new stars.

While other telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, have previously imaged the Cartwheel Galaxy, much of their views were shrouded by vast amounts of dust. The level of detail in this composite image is made possible by two of Webb’s instruments: the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which covers a wavelength range of just 0.6 to 5 microns, and the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which covers a wavelength range of 5 to 28 microns.

Stars that would otherwise be too dim to see in visible light shine much brighter when photographed by NIRCam. MIRI—designed to visualize dust, a primary ingredient of star formation—reveals regions of the galaxy rich in chemical compounds and silicate dust, which form the distinctive spiraling spokes of the Cartwheel.

A New Travel Boom

Supersonic Aircraft

In yet another sign that supersonic travel is making a comeback, American Airlines announced in August its agreement to purchase up to 20 Overture aircraft manufactured by Boom Supersonic, with an option for an additional 40.

Overture is being designed (see photo, above) to carry 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 over water with a range of 4,250 nautical miles. (Current Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit aircraft from flying at speeds above Mach 1 when over land, due to noise from sonic booms.) Boom claims its supersonic jets will eventually be able to carry passengers from Miami to London in just under five hours (typically a nearly nine-hour flight) and from Los Angeles to Honolulu in three hours (an almost six-hour flight). The company says it will be rolling out the first jet from its plant in North Carolina in 2025, and hopes to be flying passengers at speeds faster-than-sound by the end of the decade.

Buddy Squadron is Back

A Republic of Korea Air Force KA-1 Woongbi flies alongside two U.S. Air Force 25th Fighter Squadron A-10 Thunderbolt IIs during “Buddy Squadron 22-5” at Wonju Air Base, South Korea, on July 12, 2022. The exercise was created 20 years ago so that pilots, maintenance technicians, and support personnel from the two countries could build trust, introduce new tactics, and exchange ideas. (Buddy Squadron had been suspended for three years due to the pandemic.)

A Vision Fulfilled

Orbis International’s Flying Eye Hospital is unlike any aircraft you’ve seen before. The fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital began as an idea in the late 1960s, when renowned U.S. ophthalmologist Dr. David Paton observed that 90 percent of the world’s avoidable blindness occurs in the developing world, where access to medical training is prohibitive due to the high costs of tuition and travel. The solution to the quandary, Orbis International’s iconic flying medical school and clinic, took off 40 years ago, and has since provided training to eye care teams in more than 95 countries.

On November 17, hear from two members of the Flying Eye Hospital team in person at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, or live on YouTube. This program is made possible by the support of GE Aviation. Sign up and learn more.