The sharpest infrared observation yet of a nearby planetary nebula reveals comet-like bonds of gas and dust, illustrating how material from a dying star becomes the seeds of future systems.
Webb's breathtaking view of the Helix Nebula shows the last breath of a dying star becoming the seeds of future worlds.
The Helix Nebula, located 650 light-years from Earth and first discovered in the early 19th century, is one of the most easily recognized nebulae in the night sky, due to its dramatic ring-like appearance. Because it is among the closest planetary nebulae to Earth, astronomers have long used ground-based and space-based telescopes to study it as a detailed example of how stars end their lives.
These observations have now reached a new level with the James Webb Space Telescope, which has provided the clearest infrared view of this nebula yet.
A glimpse into the distant future of the sun
Webb's powerful instruments allow scientists to focus on the Helix Nebula and examine what might one day happen to our Sun and its planets. The telescope's high-resolution data focus on the structure of the gas flowing out of the dying star. These observations show how stars return their material to space, providing the materials that later form new stars and planets.
Images taken by Webb's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) reveal striking columnar formations around the inner edge of an expanding envelope of gas. These structures resemble comets with long tails pointing away from the central star. They form where strong winds of hot gas collide with cooler layers of dust and gas ejected earlier in the star's life, shaping the nebula into its complex, textured shape.
For nearly two centuries, the Helix Nebula has been observed through many telescopes. Webb's AE perspective highlights dense bonds of gas and dust much more clearly than Hubble's softer, more subtle view. This new view also makes it easier to see the sharp transition from very hot gas near the center to much cooler material farther away as the nebula continues to expand from the white dwarf at the center.
The white dwarf in the center
At the heart of the Helix Nebula lies a white dwarf, the exposed remnant of the original star, but it lies a short distance outside Webb's image. Intense radiation from this stellar heart illuminates the surrounding gas, creating layers with very different properties. The region closest to the white dwarf contains hot, ionized gas, followed by cooler regions rich in molecular hydrogen. Farther out lie protected pockets within dust clouds where more complex molecules can begin to form. These regions are important because they contain the raw materials that may eventually lead to the formation of new planets elsewhere in the galaxy.
In this image of the Helix Nebula taken by Webb's NIRCam, color is used to show differences in temperature and chemistry. Blues indicate the hottest gas, which is energized by strong UV radiation. Yellows indicate cooler regions where hydrogen atoms are combining into molecules. Reds appear at the outer edges, indicating the coldest material where the gas is thinning out and dust can form. The color code below indicates the filters used. Together, these colors show how the final exhaust from a dying star becomes the building blocks of future worlds, deepening scientists' understanding of how planets form.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, A. Pagan (STScI)
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