CaliToday (28/8/2025): This breathtaking image, a combination of data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA), offers an unparalleled view into the center of NGC 6302, famously known as the Butterfly Nebula. Located approximately 3,400 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, this object is one of the most well-studied planetary nebulae in our galaxy.
Planetary nebulae are among the most beautiful and fleeting phenomena in the cosmos. They are formed when stars with masses between 0.8 and 8 times that of our Sun reach the end of their lives and shed their outer layers into space. This phase is incredibly brief in cosmic terms, lasting only about 20,000 years.
Webb and ALMA Uncover Hidden Secrets
At the heart of the Butterfly Nebula lies the scorching hot, ancient core of a Sun-like star. This central star releases immense energy, causing the surrounding gas and dust to glow brilliantly. While this star is hidden from view at optical wavelengths (the light Hubble sees), the powerful infrared capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope have now pierced through the obscuring dust, revealing the star and its complex environment in stunning detail.
This composite image showcases the intricate structures surrounding the central star:
A Doughnut-Shaped Torus: A dense, doughnut-shaped ring of dusty gas is seen oriented vertically and nearly edge-on from our perspective. This torus funnels the outflow of gas from the dying star.
Interconnected Bubbles: The torus intersects with massive bubbles of gas that enclose the star. In this image, these bubbles appear as a vibrant red, illuminated by the glowing light of helium and neon gas.
High-Speed Jets: Shooting out from the central region in opposite directions are powerful jets of material. These jets, traced by the emission from ionized iron, are evidence of the violent processes at play as the star sheds its mass at incredible speeds.
This new view not only provides a spectacular image but also gives astronomers crucial data to better understand the final, dramatic stages of a star's life.
Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Matsuura, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), N. Hirano, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)
Webb Telescope Reveals the Complex History of a Distant Dwarf Galaxy
GREENBELT, MARYLAND – The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a mesmerizing image of a portion of the Leo P dwarf galaxy (stars at lower right represented in blue), offering scientists unprecedented insights into the star formation history of this distant celestial neighbor. Leo P, a bustling star-forming galaxy, is located approximately 5 million light-years away in the constellation Leo.
A dedicated team of scientists utilized JWST's exceptional infrared capabilities to collect detailed data from an astonishing 15,000 stars within Leo P. This extensive dataset allowed them to meticulously deduce the galaxy's star formation history, painting a complex picture of its evolution over cosmic time. Their analysis revealed three distinct phases in Leo P's stellar journey:
An Initial Burst of Star Formation: The galaxy began its life with an intense period of rapid star birth, creating a multitude of new stars.
A Multi-Billion-Year "Pause": Following this initial burst, Leo P experienced a prolonged period of quiescence, where star formation significantly slowed down or ceased for several billion years.
A Resumed Star Formation Epoch: After this long lull, the galaxy re-ignited its star-forming engines, a process that is still actively continuing today.
The stars within Leo P appear predominantly blue in this Webb image, a characteristic that scientists attribute to several factors. Firstly, star-forming galaxies like Leo P are rich in young, massive stars, which naturally emit light in the blue spectrum. Secondly, Leo P is notably lacking in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, a condition astronomers refer to as "metal-poor." Stars formed in such environments tend to be bluer than more "metal-rich" stars, like our Sun.
A prominent feature visible at the bottom center of the image is a striking bubble-like structure. This is identified as a region of ionized hydrogen, a clear indicator of intense radiation emanating from a hot, massive O-type star residing at its core. These massive stars are powerful sources of ultraviolet radiation, which ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, creating these glowing nebulae.
The study of dwarf galaxies like Leo P is crucial for understanding the early universe. These smaller galaxies are thought to be more representative of the building blocks of larger galaxies, and their less complex evolutionary histories can provide vital clues about how the first stars and galaxies formed.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)
