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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured photographs of one of the first supernovae ever seen, with features that look like grains and knots found in a cut of wood.
“Once upon a time, the core of a massive star collapsed, creating a shock wave that exploded outward, tearing the star apart in its wake,” NASA said on its website. “When the shock wave reached the surface of the star, it passed through it, generating a brief, intense pulse of X-rays and ultraviolet light that traveled into the surrounding space.”
Now, nearly 350 years later, scientists are seeing the consequences when the pulse of light hits interstellar material and makes it glow.
The infrared glow created was captured by JWST, revealing details that look like knots and spirals found in the grain of the wood.
POWERFUL WEBB TELESCOPE CAPTURES FARSTEST KNOWN GALAXY, SCIENTISTS SAY
This background image of the region around the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant 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 several light echoes. Now, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has photographed some of these light echoes in much greater detail. The insets at the bottom right show an epoch of Webb observations, while the inset on the left shows a Webb image of the central supernova remnant released in 2023. (Spitzer image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Y. Kim (Univ. of Arizona/Univ. of Chicago). Cassiopeia A Inset: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danny Milisavljevic (Purdue University), Ilse De Looze (UGent ), Tea Temim (Princeton University Light Echo Box: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Jencson). (Caltech/IPAC).
“Even when a star dies, its light endures.resonating throughout the cosmos. It’s been an extraordinary three years since we launched NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Every image, every discovery, paints a portrait not only of the majesty of the universe but also of the power 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 has been to oversee this monumental effort, shaped by the tireless dedication of thousands of scientists and engineers around the world. “This latest image beautifully captures Webb’s lasting legacy: a keyhole 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 surprised to see this level of detail,” said Jacob Jencson of Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, the principal investigator of the scientific 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 ON SPECTACULAR STAR BIRTH CROWN BEYOND THE MILKY WAY
These shimmering cosmic curtains show interstellar gas and dust heated by the flash explosion of a supernova long ago. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Jencson (Caltech/IPAC))
“We think all the dense, dusty regions we see, and most of the ones we don’t see, look like this on the inside,” he said. “We’ve just never been able to look inside them before.”
Images produced by JWST’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) highlight a phenomenon called light echo, NASA said, which is created when a star explodes or erupts before emitting light into surrounding dust masses and causing them to shine
Visible light echoes occur when light reflects off interstellar material, while those of infrared wavelengths occur when dust is heated by energetic radiation, causing it to glow.
The scientists focused on a light echo previously observed by NASA retirees. Spitzer Space Telescopeand is one of dozens found near remains of the Cassiopeia A supernova.
MERGER OF MASSIVE BLACK HOLES OF THE EARLY UNIVERSE DISCOVERED BY THE WEBB TELESCOPE, SCIENTISTS SAY
FILE – In this April 13, 2017 photo provided by NASA, technicians lift the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope using a crane at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Laura Betz/NASA via AP, file)
Webb’s images show tight, filamentary sheets showing structures on what NASA called “remarkably small scales,” about 400 astronomical units, 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, much less that it was sheet-shaped,” Peek said.
The scientists compared the discovery to a medical CT scan.
“We have three slices taken at three different times, which will allow us to study the true 3D structure. It will completely change the way we study the interstellar medium,” said Armin Rest of the Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of the team. saying.
The team’s findings will be presented this week at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, DC.
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The Webb Telescope, successor to Hubble and the largest telescope ever launched into space, is a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency.
