by The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed the most detailed image so far of the Crab Nebula, a gorgeous supernova remnant of a star that exploded 1,000 years ago.
Where it is: 6,500 light-years away, in the constellation Taurus
This new infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shows one of the night sky's most studied and most impressive nebulas in a new light.
Published Oct. 30, the image reveals fresh new details within the mysterious supernova remnant known as the Crab Nebula.
The leftovers of a giant star's explosive demise almost 1,000 years ago in 1054 , the Crab Nebula consists of a rapidly rotating neutron star (the dense remains of the star's core) at its center, surrounded by a vast, expanding shell of gas.
In JWST's image, it's possible to see, for the first time, wispy gas filaments in supersharp detail in red-orange.
Inside the nebula, light from dust grains shines in yellow-white and green.
Source
Where it is: 6,500 light-years away, in the constellation Taurus
This new infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shows one of the night sky's most studied and most impressive nebulas in a new light.
Published Oct. 30, the image reveals fresh new details within the mysterious supernova remnant known as the Crab Nebula.
The leftovers of a giant star's explosive demise almost 1,000 years ago in 1054 , the Crab Nebula consists of a rapidly rotating neutron star (the dense remains of the star's core) at its center, surrounded by a vast, expanding shell of gas.
In JWST's image, it's possible to see, for the first time, wispy gas filaments in supersharp detail in red-orange.
Inside the nebula, light from dust grains shines in yellow-white and green.
Source
