ESA: Webb Captures Detailed Beauty of Ring Nebula (M57)
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2023 2:37 pm
Webb Captures Detailed Beauty of Ring Nebula
ESA Webb Photo Release | 2023 Aug 21
ESA Webb Photo Release | 2023 Aug 21
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has observed the well-known Ring Nebula with unprecedented detail. Formed by a star throwing off its outer layers as it runs out of fuel, the Ring Nebula is an archetypal planetary nebula. The object is also known as M57 and NGC 6720, and is relatively close to Earth at roughly 2,500 light-years away.Webb and Hubble’s Views of the Ring Nebula
Image 1 Credit: Webb (NIRCam): ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson
Image 2 Credit: Hubble: NASA, ESA, and C. Robert O’Dell (Vanderbilt University)
The new images provide unprecedented spatial resolution and spectral sensitivity, which also reveal unique details across both infrared observations. For example, the new image from NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera) shows the intricate details of the filament structure of the inner ring, while the new image from MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) reveals particular details in the concentric features in the outer regions of the nebulae’s ring. ...
Note: Image from Hubble