This supernova, the brightest in the past 420 years, signaled the explosive death of a supergiant star in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
has previously watched as Supernova 1987A's expanding shock wave, initially traveling at about 7,000 kilometers per second , caught up to and collided with a ring of circumstellar debris ejected by the doomed star during the 20,000 years or so before it went supernova. As the wave clashed with this ring, it slowed to about 2,300 kilometers per second .Clumps within this ring gradually brightened, appearing as a bracelet of pearls.
More diffuse emission in the form of a general glow is also seen as the blast wave from the supernova excites gas around the site of the explosion. Additionally, The JWST spotted something new: Inside the main ring, where gas and dust forms a keyhole-shaped ejecta cloud, there are two puzzling arcs, or crescents. These features, the team suggests, could represent the outer layers of gas blasted out by the supernova — we are seeing this bit at an angle.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning images of the Ring Nebula -- ScienceDailyNASA's James Webb Space Telescope has recorded breath-taking new images of the iconic Ring Nebula, also known as Messier 57.
Read more »
Iconic supernova captured by the James Webb Space TelescopeThe supernova 1987A lies around 168,000 light years from Earth, and is the closest stellar explosion we have seen in hundreds of years. Now, the James Webb Space Telescope is revealing new details
Read more »
Exploring Io's Volcanic Activity via Hubble and Webb TelescopesThe two most powerful space telescopes ever built, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope, are about to gather data about the most volcanically body in the entire solar system, Jupiter’s first Galilean Moon, Io. This data will be used in combination with upcoming flybys of Io by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which … Continue reading 'Exploring Io’s Volcanic Activity via Hubble and Webb Telescopes'
Read more »
Exploring Io's volcanic activity via Hubble and Webb telescopesThe two most powerful space telescopes ever built, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope, are about to gather data about the most volcanically body in the entire solar system, Jupiter's first Galilean moon, Io.
Read more »
Colorful Ring Nebula shines in new Webb imagesThe James Webb Space Telescope has revealed colorful new portraits of the iconic Ring Nebula that capture unprecedented details a dying star creates glowing structures.
Read more »
James Webb captures the magnificent Whirlpool GalaxyA new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the Whirlpool Galaxy, a galaxy so picturesque it is designated a grand-design spiral galaxy.
Read more »