NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has recently captured a fresh, detailed perspective of the Helix Nebula, a gas formation resulting from a dying star, situated 650 light-years away from our planet. The image, obtained using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera, displays the inner section of the expanding gas shell with unparalleled clarity. It showcases pillars resembling comets and the interplay between swiftly moving hot gas from the central white dwarf star and slower, colder gas and dust emitted earlier in the star’s lifecycle.
NASA explains that the colors in the image symbolize varying temperatures and chemical compositions of the gas: blue signifies the hottest material stimulated by the star’s ultraviolet radiation, yellow represents molecular hydrogen, and red outlines the coldest outer gas and dust. This phenomenon illustrates how dying stars repurpose material, returning it to space, where it could potentially serve as the fundamental elements for new planets in different star systems.
The Helix Nebula has been scrutinized by numerous telescopes, such as Hubble and Spitzer. NASA mentions that Webb’s fresh near-infrared perspective sharpens the focus on previously identified “knots” of material and offers a clearer view of the transition from hot to cold gas as the nebula expands. The agency also highlights that the dark pockets visible in the image might denote areas where more intricate molecules are commencing their formation.