The James Webb Space Telescope has snapped its first image of the Ring Nebula, one of the most famous celestial sights in the night sky—and it’s visible right now in summer skies.
Also known as M57, the Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula, the leftovers of a star that went supernova 4,000 years ago.
Like other examples—including the Crab Nebula (M1) and Southern Ring Nebula (NGC 3132)—in its center is a white dwarf, the remaining core of a collapsed giant star. That star produces enough energy to heat its surrounding shell of gas to temperatures in excess of 100,000 degrees, causing it to glow. The different colors are varying elements and chemicals.
Delicate Structures
Webb’s image, above, was created on August 4, 22023 and shows the main ring surrounded by a faint halo and with many delicate structures.
“The James Webb Space Telescope has provided us with an extraordinary view of the Ring Nebula that we’ve never seen before,” said Dr Mike Barlow, the lead scientist of the JWST Ring Nebula Project. “We are witnessing the final chapters of a star’s life, a preview of the sun’s distant future.”
It’s thought that all stars heavier than eight solar masses end their lives in a supernova, but only very few have been witnessed by humans. The last one in the Milky Way was in 1604—Kepler’s Supernova—though in May 2023 the SN 2023ixf supernova was seen in nearby galaxy M101.
Life Cycles of Stars
It’s hoped that by studying the Ring Nebula with JWST scientists can gain a deeper understanding of the life cycles of stars and the elements they release into the cosmos.
“We can use the Ring Nebula as our laboratory to study how planetary nebulae form and evolve,” said Barlow. “JWSTs observations have opened a new window into understanding these awe-inspiring cosmic events.”
How to See the Ring Nebula
The Ring Nebula is about 2,600 light-years distant in the constellation Lyra, which is high in the sky during summer in the northern hemisphere. It’s close to Vega, Lyra’s brightest star and one of the three bright stars that make up the famous asterism called the Summer Triangle.
It can be glimpsed using any small backyard telescope, though it is rather hard to see in light-polluted night skies. However, take the time to observe from country skies and this ring of light is easy to see—and the view is spectacular.
“We are amazed by the details in the images, better than we have ever seen before,” said Albert Zijlstra, Professor in Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. “We always knew planetary nebulae were pretty. What we see now is spectacular.”
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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