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Webb Has Given Us with a Stunning New View of a Well-Known Planetary Nebula
Webb's near-infrared image reveals detailed structures in the Helix Nebula showing how dying stars recycle matter to form new stars and planets.
- On Tuesday, NASA released James Webb Space Telescope near-infrared images of the Helix Nebula captured with NIRCam, revealing comet-like knots, fierce stellar winds, and layers of gas from a dying star.
- Discovered in the early 19th century, the Helix Nebula sits in the constellation Aquarius about 655 light-years away and has been imaged nearly two centuries by ground- and space-based observatories.
- Using its NIRCam, Webb maps temperature and chemistry with color, showing hot ionized gas near the white dwarf and cooler molecular hydrogen farther out while sharpening cometary knots and revealing winds crashing into older shells.
- This detailed view advances understanding of how stellar death seeds planetary building blocks, showing how dying stars recycle material to form future generations of stars and planets.
- Webb, an international program led by NASA with ESA and CSA, continues to sharpen astronomical insight by resolving features beyond Hubble and Spitzer, solving solar system and cosmic-origin mysteries.
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Gazing Into The Eye Of Sauron With The JWST
The Helix Nebula is one of the closest and brightest planetary nebula. It's what's left of a dying star and has nothing to do with planets. Our Sun will end up as one of these sumptuous displays, and a new JWST image reveals even more detail in the stunning nebula.
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Total News Sources17
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 33%
C 50%
R 17%
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