An enigmatic, cloud-enshrouded planet that has puzzled astronomers for years turns out to be less hot than expected – and surprisingly shiny.

This new image is gorgeous, no doubt. Its beauty is also functional, because it can help answer modern questions about how galaxies morph over time. About 25 percent of all galaxies are currently merging with others, and even more are probably gravitationally interacting, according to the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail.