NASA has captured an image of a supernova (aka exploding star) with its new supertelescope, James Webb.
The star allegedly exploded in 1987, but we haven’t been able to see it in all its glorious details until now. Astronomers are fascinated by this because it shows what happens when a sufficiently massive star meets an unfortunate end.
Although this is the closest supernova ever observed to Earth, you don’t have to worry about debris flying at you. The star, named SN1987A, is 170,000 light-years away from our home.
It appears that a supernova is not a super sudden event. As the scientists observed, what looks like a pearl necklace in the image is likely material that was ejected about 20,000 years before the Great Boom.
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“We were able to see new hot spots emerging outside the previously illuminated ring,” Dr Roger Wesson, Cardiff University, UK, explains. “Furthermore, we see emission of molecular hydrogen in the ring, which is not necessarily expected and only JWST can reveal with its remarkable sensitivity and resolution.
Once again, space manages to be both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
Thanks, bbc。
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