The powerful Webb Telescope captures images of one of the earliest supernovae ever seen
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured photos of one of the earliest supernovae ever seen, with features that appear like the grains and knots found in a wood cut.
“Once upon a time, the core of a massive star collapsed, creating a shock wave that exploded outward, tearing the star apart as it went,” NASA said on its website. “When the shock wave reached the surface of the star, it broke through, generating a short, intense pulse of X-rays and ultraviolet light that traveled outward into the surrounding space.”
Now, nearly 350 years later, scientists are getting a glimpse of the consequences when a pulse of light reaches interstellar material and causes it to glow.
The resulting infrared glow was captured by JWST, revealing details that look like the knots and whorls found in wood.
SCIENTISTS SAY POWERFUL WEBB TELESCOPE IMAGES FAREST KNOWN GALAXY
This background image of the region around the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A was released by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope in 2008. By taking multiple images of this region over three years with Spitzer, researchers were able to examine a series of light echoes. Now NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured some of those light echoes in much greater detail. The lower right insets show one epoch of Webb’s observations, while the left inset shows Webb’s image of the central supernova remnant released in 2023. (Spitzer image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Y. Kim (University of Arizona/University of Chicago). Cassiopeia A Inset: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danny Milisavljević (Purdue University), Ilse De Looze (UGent) , Tea Temim ( Princeton University) Inset light echo: NASA, ESA, CSA STScI, J. Jencson (Caltech/IPAC).)
“Even when a star dies, its light lives on –echoes through the cosmos. It’s been a remarkable three years since we launched NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Each image, each discovery, paints a portrait not only of the majesty of space, but also of the strength of the NASA team and the promise of international partnerships. This groundbreaking mission, NASA’s largest international space science collaboration, is a true testament to NASA’s ingenuity, teamwork and pursuit of excellence,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “What a privilege it has been to oversee this monumental effort, shaped by the tireless the dedication of thousands of scientists and engineers around the world. This final image beautifully captures the enduring legacy of Webb—a keystone to the past and a mission that will inspire generations to come.”
While beautiful in nature, the observations also give astronomers the ability to map the three-dimensional structure of interstellar dust and gas for the first time.
“We were quite shocked to see this level of detail,” said Jacob Jencson of Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, principal investigator of the science program.
Josh Peek of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore is also a member of the team and said they see layers like those of an onion.
POWERFUL WEBB TELESCOPE SPIES SPECTACULAR STAR BIRTH ABOVE THE MILKY WAY
These shimmering cosmic curtains show interstellar gas and dust that was heated by the flash explosion of a long-ago supernova. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Jencson (Caltech/IPAC))
“We think that every dense, dusty region we see, as well as most of the ones we don’t see, looks like this from the inside,” he said. “It’s just that we’ve never been able to look inside them before.”
The images produced by the JWST near-infrared camera (NIRCam) highlight a phenomenon called light echo, NASA said, which occurs when a star explodes or erupts before flashing light into the surrounding dust masses and causing them to glow.
Visible light echoes occur when light reflects off interstellar material, and those at infrared wavelengths occur when dust is heated by energetic radiation, causing it to glow.
Scientists aimed for a light echo previously observed by NASA retirees The Spitzer Space Telescopeand is one of dozens found near the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.
MASSIVE BLACK HOLES MERGER FROM EARLY UNIVERSE DISCOVERED BY WEBB TELESCOPE, SCIENTISTS SAY
FILE – In this April 13, 2017 photo provided by NASA, technicians raise the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope using a crane at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. (Laura Betz/NASA via AP, File)
Webb’s images show tightly packed sheets, with filaments showing structures on what NASA called “extremely small scales,” of about 400 AU, or less than one-hundredth of a light-year. One astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, and Neptune’s orbit is 60 astronomical units in diameter.
“We didn’t know that the interstellar medium had such small-scale structures, let alone that it was flat-like,” Peek said.
The scientists compared this discovery to a medical CT scan.
“We have three sections taken at three different times, which will allow us to study the true 3D structure. This will completely change the way we study the interstellar medium,” Armin Rest of the Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of the team said.
The team’s findings will be presented this week at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, DC
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The Webb Telescope, the successor to Hubble and the largest telescope ever launched into space, is a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency.
