NASA Webb Telescope Captures Star On Cusp Of Death
March 14, 2023 2:24PM PDT
This image provided by NASA shows the star Wolf-Rayet 124, center, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope in June 2022. A surrounding nebula is made of material cast off from the aging star in random ejections, and from dust produced in the ensuing turbulence. The telescope captured the rare and fleeting phase of the star on the cusp of death. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Webb Space Telescope has captured the rare and fleeting phase of a star on the cusp of death.
NASA released the picture Tuesday at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.
The observation was among the first made by Webb following its launch in late 2021.
Its infrared eyes observed all the gas and dust flung into space by a huge, hot star 15,000 light-years away.
Such a transformation occurs only with some stars and normally is the last step before they explode, going supernova.
Astrophysicists say they’ve never seen this phase before in such detail.
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