The Webb telescope detects an eye-shaped supernova with chaotic packing

The Webb Space Telescope recently captured images of Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A), one of the brightest supernovas in the night sky and the closest supernova observed in centuries. According to NASA.

Image Extends 8.5 lights Years and was taken in September 2022, but it was Published just today. It consists of several exposures captured by the Webb near-infrared camera (NIRCam). It reveals the supernova’s equatorial and outer rings, its crescent, and its inner shell (or “keyhole”), whose dense core cannot be penetrated by even Webb’s sharpest views.

According to a study, the structure’s equatorial ring formed from material ejected from the star tens of thousands of years before the supernova occurred. Space Telescope Science Institute launchwhich gained bright spots as the supernova’s shock wave expanded outward.

SN1987A is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way. The cloud is dotted with star-forming regions, where large clouds of gas collapse to form new stars. But SN 1987A lies at the other end of stellar life, like a supernova born from the violent aftermath of dying stars.

A supernova emits a range of electromagnetic radiation, from long radio waves to short energetic gamma rays. Webb’s observations (as the name NIRCam suggests) captured near-infrared light from the supernova remnant. Webb’s high resolution revealed crescent-shaped structures, which are likely outer layers of gas produced by the supernova.

Although Webb has not observed SN 1987A before, he has observed other dusty supernovae. In SN 2004et, Webb saw the “highest dust clump” detected in a supernova since SN 1987A, according to Uri Fuchs, STScI project leader who helped produce observations of two supernovae that Published last month.

There are still outstanding questions about SN 1987A, incl What happened to the star? At the center of the supernova. Whether examining this supernova or looking elsewhere, Webb’s future observations will likely help uncover the truth.

More: Webb telescope discovers potential fuel for the early universe in supernova debris