'We are witnessing the final chapters of a star's life, a preview of the sun's distant future.'
, also known as Messier 57 , located around 2,200 light-years away, in intricate detail that will surprise even astronomers who are familiar with the object.
Located in the Lyra constellation, the Ring Nebula is a popular target for space enthusiasts as its donut-shaped ring of glowing gas and dust is visible even with small backyard telescopes throughout the summer. "I first saw the Ring Nebula as a kid through just a small telescope," Western University astrophysicist and core member of JWST Ring Nebula Imaging Project, Jan Cami, said in a statement."I would have never thought that one day, I would be part of the team that would use the world's most powerful space telescope ever built to look at this object.
The Ring Nebula is the glowing remains of a long-dead star, a class of astronomical object called a"planetary nebula," which somewhat confusingly has nothing to do with planets. At its heart is a white speck that represents aM57, or the Ring Nebula, is particularly fascinating to astronomers because not only is it close enough to be viewed with even amateur telescopes, but from our vantage point in the, the planetary nebula is tilted so that it is viewed face-on.
"The James Webb Space Telescope has provided us with an extraordinary view of the Ring Nebula that we've never seen before," University College London professor and co-lead scientist of the JWST Ring Nebula Imaging Project, Mike Barlow, said."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.
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