The Ring Nebula Glows Green In A Stunning New JWST Image
Arthur T Knackerbracket writes:
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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has taken an astonishing new image of the Ring Nebula. This glowing, donut-shaped nebula has never been seen in such intricate detail before.
The Ring Nebula is about 2600 light years away in the direction of the constellation Lyra. It is what astronomers call a planetary nebula, which forms when a dying star blows off its outer layers to create a shroud of gas and dust.
By chance, this nebula happens to be oriented so that from Earth we view it face-on, with the stellar corpse in the centre circled by its titular ring of bright nitrogen and sulfur. The whole thing is enveloped in a veil of oxygen gas, which gives it a greenish tinge when the star's light passes through it.
We are witnessing the final chapters of a star's life, a preview of the sun's distant future, so to speak," said Mike Barlow at University College London in a statement. We can use the Ring Nebula as our laboratory to study how planetary nebulae form and evolve."
Also at Space.com
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