Aug 03, 2023 at 7:38 PM Update: 2 hours ago
The James Webb telescope has captured impressive images of the Ring Nebula, a planetary nebula 2,600 light years from Earth. The nebula is known for its “doughnut” shape and bright, colorful rings.
The images are released by a team of international researchers affiliated with the University of Manchester. The researchers speak of “new, breathtaking images of the iconic Ring Nebula”. Never before has the planetary nebula been imaged in such sharp detail.
“We are amazed by the details in the images,” says professor Albert Zijlstra, astrophysicist at the English university. “They’re better than we’ve ever seen. We always knew planetary nebulae were beautiful. But what we’re seeing now is spectacular.”
The Ring Nebula was created when material from a dying star was blasted into space. This created a nebula consisting of gas clouds and colorful rings.
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The new images from the James Webb telescope also show the inner region of the nebula. It lies around the central white dwarf, the terminal shape of the dying star.
The name of planetary nebulae is somewhat misleading as they have nothing to do with planets. The name was coined in the early days of astronomy, when scientists thought the nebulae were planets.
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2023-08-03 17:38:13
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