This celestial masterpiece has been compared to the electric colors of a jellyfish,link video lucah the gaping mouth of an eel, and even J. R. R. Tolkien's Eye of Sauron.
NASA's Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra X-ray telescopes have all viewed this famous supernova — aka SN 1987A — before, but it wasn't until astronomers pointed the James Webb Space Telescope at it that they could see it in high definition. But it's not just a pretty picture: The leading infrared telescope, a collaboration of NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, has revealed new mysterious details in the remains of the exploded star.
Because infrared light is invisible to human eyes, researchers have translated the data into visible-light wavelengths, sort of like playing a tune in a lower octave. What they found was a pair of small, peculiar crescent-shaped features, surrounding something that looks like a keyhole opening at the center of a gas cloud.
But what exactly are they? Even the experts are wondering whether Webb's "eye" is playing tricks on them.
"Their brightness may be an indication of limb brightening, an optical phenomenon that results from viewing the expanding material in three dimensions," according to NASA. "In other words, our viewing angle makes it appear that there is more material in these two crescents than there actually may be."
SEE ALSO: Webb telescope captures the divine colors of a star's deathThis Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Solving this mystery may help scientists better understand how stellar corpses evolve over time.
Stars on the verge of dying and supernovas like SN 1987A are element factories, astrophysicists say: They make carbon, for instance, the same chemical on which humans and much of life on Earth are based. Then they spread metals like calcium found in bones and iron in blood across interstellar space. This dispersal seeds new generations of stars and planets, but scientists admit they have much to learn about the early stages of the process.
In the new Webb image, the keyhole at the center is packed with clumps of gas and dust from the explosion.
The supernova SN 1987A as viewed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Mikako Matsuura / Richard Arendt / Claes Fransson / Josefin Larsson (KTH) Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Light Speed newslettertoday.
"The dust is so dense that even near-infrared light that Webb detects can’t penetrate it, shaping the dark 'hole' in the keyhole," according to NASA.
A bright belt around the middle connects two faint limbs of hourglass-shaped outer rings. The belt is composed of material fired from the star tens of thousands of years before it died. It's studded with hot spots that appeared as the supernova’s shock wave hit the belt. Now spots are showing up outside the band, with diffuse emissions surrounding it. Scientists say this finding is an important benchmark in the supernova's progression.
The Hubble Space Telescope shows Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Credit: NASA / ESA / R. Kirshner / M. Mutchler / R. Avila Astronomers discovered SN 1987A, an intriguing and relatively close cosmic object, nearly 40 years ago in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Since then, scientists have investigated it at radio, gamma-ray, and X-ray wavelengths. They continue to monitor the aftermath because so much of it remains an enigma.
For example, scientists believe there should be a black hole or neutron star left over from the blast. Yet no telescope has found one among the ashes.
With time and the help of other telescope observatories, perhaps it's another mystery Webb will unravel.
Family Fun Sunday at Shoseian
Did Donald Trump send Kim Jong
The biggest typos Donald Trump deleted from Twitter in 2018 (so far)
This Twitter thread of playful puppies is the closest we've come to absolute joy in 2018
Bonsai Tool Sharpening Demonstration
Simone Giertz shares another emotional post
Someone has made a giant Trump blimp to protest his UK visit
Ariana Grande didn't find Pete Davidson's joke about Manchester bombing funny
Legend Behind the Camera
Why I unfollowed influencers in favor of relaxing slime content
A Whirlwind of Activity for Ru Kuwahata Following Oscar Nod for Animated Film
An Android User's Perspective: Two Weeks with the iPhone 6s, Part 2
Michelle Wolf roasts Trump for not showing up to her White House dinner set
Artist catfishes Twitter with hilariously bad drawings
‘The King and I’ Closes This Weekend
Trump supporters boycott Walmart for selling 'Impeach 45' merch
Trump finally decides to lower White House flags to honor Capital Gazette shooting victims
Pride may be over, but here's how to celebrate LGBTQ Wrath month
West Covina Cherry Blossom Festival This Saturday
Little French boy waves baguette at World Cup, help, help, I'm dying
Best gaming laptop deal: Get the HP OMEN Transcend 14 for $1,199.99'Peanuts' character Franklin gets his own origin story in new AppleTV+ filmNYT's The Mini crossword answers for February 17Wyze security camera breach actually impacted 13,000 users, not 14Ben Affleck's Dunkin ad is his version of JLo's 'This Is Me…Now'Biden Administration to slow down EV shift to appease automakersWhen is 'The Traitors' UK Season 2 coming to Peacock?NYT's The Mini crossword answers for February 18'Peanuts' character Franklin gets his own origin story in new AppleTV+ filmApple confirms: It's killing home screen web apps in the EU Nuvo Unveils Nuscription: New Blockchain Trading Udemy & IBM Boost New Education Platform in Web3 Nishio Honored at State Capitol On Ensemble to Celebrate 22 Years of Creativity JACL, JANM Denounce Hate Fringe Finance Is Officially Launching the V2 Platform IT PAYS TO KNOW: Why Older People Fall COCA Wins "№1 Product of the Day" Award on Product Hunt LABEL Foundation’s Tracks Launches Web3 Music dApp on LG Smart TVs East West Players Announces New Artistic, Managing Directors
0.1374s , 11932.2890625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【link video lucah】Webb space telescope uncovers supernova's hidden details,Global Hot Topic Analysis
