NASA released new images from its James Webb Space Telescope displaying the vivid colors of Cassiopeia A, a supernova remnant.
The image of Cas A uses the Near-Infrared Camera of the Webb telescope to show the different activities occurring within the supernova. NASA says Cas A is 10 light-years across, which is the equivalent of 60 trillion miles.
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Nobody puts baby in a corner.
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) December 11, 2023
Well…except “Baby Cas A.” So-called because it looks like a mini-Cas A, Baby Cas A is the blob in the bottom right corner. Light from the supernova has reached and is warming the distant dust within it, creating its intriguing dust pattern. pic.twitter.com/vVbZKpSLKJ
“With NIRCam’s resolution, we can now see how the dying star absolutely shattered when it exploded, leaving filaments akin to tiny shards of glass behind,” research team leader Danny Milisavljevic from Purdue University said. “It’s really unbelievable after all these years studying Cas A to now resolve those details, which are providing us with transformational insight into how this star exploded.”
The space agency calls Cas A "one of the most well-studied supernova remnants in all of the cosmos," observed through various other space telescopes. The Webb telescope found new features of the inner shell of the supernova remnant in April, according to the space agency.
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The James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space in December 2021 by NASA, and the space agency has been releasing images from the telescope since July 2022, touting its advanced capabilities and high-quality instruments.
Images released by NASA from the telescope have shown the scale and complexity of the cosmos. The telescope has made several breakthroughs as scientists seek to understand the formation of the universe, among other scientific inquiries.