The James Webb Telescope takes us on a journey once again by casting its piercing gaze on the Lyra Nebula, located 2,300 light-years from Earth.
In just a few months of operation, the James Webb Space Telescope has broadened our view of the cosmos and transformed our understanding of the early universe. Recently, he even achieved a feat by detecting for the very first time the presence of methyl cation, a molecule which occupies a central place in organic chemistry, and consequently, in the emergence of living things.
A unique look at the Ring Nebula
This time, the discovery is not as scientifically fundamental, but it does not fail to amaze us. The astronomers responsible for the project have indeed directed the instruments of the James Webb towards the Lyra Nebula, a structure located 2,300 light years from Earth, in the constellation of Lyra.
The Hubble telescope had already produced remarkable images of this nebula. One of them can be seen below, and it is now the turn of its successor to present this gem to us with an unparalleled level of detail.
You should know that a nebula forms when the outer envelope of a small star, comparable to our Sun, is ejected at the end of its life. All that remains is the residual core, a white dwarf, and the outer layers expelled during the explosion. Emissions of ultraviolet radiation from the white dwarf are then responsible for illuminating the nebula and making the surrounding gases visible from Earth.
A new level of detail
The image taken by the James Webb was taken from the NIRCam camera, which focuses on near infrared. The details are vastly superior to those of Hubble, which will allow scientists to have a better understanding of this phenomenon and to discover elements that they had never seen before.
The Lyra Nebula is a relatively young structure on a cosmic scale, having formed around 8,000 years ago, but the sight is no less remarkable. For the record, its discovery dates back to 1779 by the French astronomer Charles Messier.
Launched in December 2021 by an Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Center, the James Webb Telescope is expected to remain in operation until 2040.
Source : Space Explored
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