COSMOS-Web makes space data open to all, revealing 800,000 galaxies

This vast dataset includes images of nearly 800,000 galaxies, detailed catalogs, and an interactive tool for exploring the data. The observations, conducted with support from NASA and scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Rochester Institute of Technology, cover 0.54 square degrees of the sky in the near-infrared range (using the NIRCam camera) and 0.2 square degrees in the mid-infrared (using MIRI). That’s roughly the area of three full moons.

The data has been made available in a user-friendly and easily searchable format, allowing broad access beyond the scientific community. The interactive map viewer enables users to explore galaxies and to view detailed information about each object.

Postdoctoral researcher Maximilien Franco of the Université Paris-Saclay explained, more than 10,000 individual images were combined to create the composite view, carefully aligned with previous datasets. This meticulous process allowed scientists to “reveal galaxies that had previously been invisible at other wavelengths.”

MIRI, which operates in the mid-infrared range, plays a key role in detecting some of the most distant galaxies, helping to estimate their mass and analyze stages of star formation.

“With MIRI, we’re now accessing an unprecedented level of detail in this wavelength range, providing new insights into the processes driving galaxy evolution and the growth of black holes. The leap in sensitivity and spatial resolution is extraordinary, and MIRI observations from COSMOS-Web are a fine example of what this instrument is capable of,” said Santosh Harish, postdoctoral research associate at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported that scientists discovered dark matter ‘shadows’ behind galaxy arms.