The Southern Ring Planetary Nebula (360 Composite)

Some stars go out with a bang. This image shows the Southern Ring planetary nebula, the James Webb Space Telescope shows a dying star cloaked by dust and layers of light. The dimmer star at the center of this scene has been sending out rings of gas and dust for thousands of years in all directions, and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed for the first time that this star is cloaked in dust. Two cameras aboard Webb captured the latest image of this planetary nebula, cataloged as NGC 3132, and known informally as the Southern Ring Nebula. It is approximately 2,500 light-years away. Webb will allow astronomers to dig into many more specifics about planetary nebulae like this one – clouds of gas and dust expelled by dying stars. Understanding which molecules are present, and where they lie throughout the shells of gas and dust will help researchers refine their knowledge of these objects. This observation shows the Southern Ring Nebula almost face-on, but if we could rotate it to view it edge-on, its three-dimensional shape would more clearly look like two bowls placed together at the bottom, opening away from one another with a large hole at the center. In thousands of years, these delicate layers of gas and dust will dissipate into surrounding space. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI Compositing: Hashem Al-Ghaili