The Red Spider Nebula, Caught by Webb

The Great Space Spider That Hides a Secret

A giant spider sprawls across space, its three light year legs stretching into the cosmos powered by a star in its death throes. The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the Red Spider Nebula in stunning new detail, revealing not just the spectacular structure of a dying Sun like star, but also hints of a hidden companion influencing the show. What appeared faint and unremarkable in previous observations now blazes with infrared light, exposi…

Red Spider Nebula glows in ethereal new JWST image

A cosmic spider was caught in some kind of web. Specifically, the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope’s sophisticated Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) revealed some never-before-seen details of NGC 6537, aka the Red Spider Nebula. The image is detailed in a study published today in The Astrophysical Journal.  Planetary nebulae form when ordinary stars like our sun reach the end of their lifespan. After swelling into cool red giants, these sta…

The Red Spider Nebula, caught by Webb

This new NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month features a cosmic creepy-crawly called NGC 6537—the Red Spider Nebula. Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), Webb has revealed never-before-seen details in this picturesque planetary nebula with a rich backdrop of thousands of stars.

The Red Spider Nebula in Sagittarius (labeled version) | James Webb Space Telescope

The Red Spider Nebula in Sagittarius (labeled version) | James Webb Space TelescopeThis new annotated (labeled) NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb picture features a cosmic creepy-crawly called NGC 6537—the Red Spider Nebula. Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), Webb has revealed never-before-seen details in this picturesque planetary nebula with a rich backdrop of thousands of stars. Distance from Earth: ~5,000 ligh…