Unveiling the Hidden Dusty Secrets of Spiral Galaxies with JWST
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and its MIRI instrument have provided unprecedented views of dust within spiral galaxies, revealing the impact of dust on galactic evolution. Dust blocks the view of luminous sources inside galaxies, but with longer-wavelength light like mid-infrared, the dust appears luminous when heated. Multiwavelength observations are necessary to understand the role of dust in galaxy evolution. The PHANGS survey, which sampled 19 nearby spiral galaxies, along with JWST's MIRI instrument, has revealed the intricate structures and heating of dust in these galaxies. These observations shed light on the earliest stages of stellar life cycles and provide insights into the matter's entire galactic life cycle.