The James Webb Space Telescope has produced the most detailed infrared image yet of the Helix Nebula, showcasing a dying star shedding its outer layers. This close-up reveals glowing knots of gas shaped by stellar winds and highlights the nebula's role in recycling material for new stars and planets. Located 650 light-years away in Aquarius, the nebula offers insights into the potential future of our Sun.
First observed in the early 1800s, the Helix Nebula stands out as one of the closest planetary nebulae to Earth, with its distinctive ring-like structure making it a favorite among astronomers. For years, telescopes like the Hubble have studied it, but the James Webb Space Telescope's near-infrared observations now provide unprecedented clarity.
Webb's Near-Infrared Camera images zoom into dense pillars of gas that look like comets with trailing tails, marking the inner edge of an expanding shell. These formations arise when fast-moving, hot winds from the central dying star collide with cooler dust and gas ejected earlier. The central white dwarf, though just outside the image frame, drives this process with its intense radiation, ionizing nearby gas and creating varied environments—from scorching hot zones close to the core to cooler areas rich in molecular hydrogen farther out.
Color coding in the images underscores these differences: blue represents the hottest, ultraviolet-energized gas; yellow shows regions where hydrogen forms molecules; and red indicates the coldest outer material where dust accumulates. This visualization illustrates how the star's outflow supplies essential building blocks for future planetary systems.
As a joint effort by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, Webb continues to advance our understanding of stellar evolution and planet formation through such observations.