Gone are the days when the Ring Nebula looked sort of like a bagel, or a jelly doughnut, a massive astronomical blob holding the secrets of a dying star.
The new images of the famous Ring Nebula from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are mesmerizing, with glowing rings of gas and wispy trails emanating from the core. We can see it more clarity than ever, including thousands of clumps that make up its main ring.
“We always knew planetary nebulae were pretty. What we see now is spectacular,” Albert Zijlstra, an astrophysics professor at the University of Manchester, said in a statement about the new image.
The image was released by an international team of researchers, including experts from the U.K., France, Canada, the U.S. and other countries. It has given them a lot to study.
“The high-resolution images not only showcase the intricate details of the nebula’s expanding shell but also reveal the inner region around the central white dwarf in exquisite clarity,” said Mike Barlow, lead scientist of the JWST Ring Nebula Project.
New image shows vibrant colors and new detail
“Just like fireworks, different chemical elements in the nebula emit light of specific colors,” University College London states. That does more than produce eye-popping scenes in space; it also lets astronomers study the chemical makeup and evolution behind the spectacle.
Despite its name, a planetary nebula is actually the remains of a sun-like star. And the closer astronomers look, the more complex planetary nebulae prove to be, with numerous clumps of gas and filaments radiating outward.
“Planetary nebulae were once thought of as very simple objects,…
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