By — Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/nasas-james-webb-telescope-captures-a-star-on-the-cusp-of-death Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter NASA’s James Webb telescope captures a star on the cusp of death Science Updated on Mar 15, 2023 5:21 PM EDT — Published on Mar 14, 2023 6:06 PM EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the rare and fleeting phase of a star on the cusp of death. NASA released the picture Tuesday at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. The observation was among the first made by Webb following its launch in late 2021. Its infrared eyes observed all the gas and dust flung into space by a huge, hot star 15,000 light-years away. A light-year is about 5.8 trillion miles. READ MORE: 3 things NASA is testing for its future moon base camp Shimmering in purple like a cherry blossom, the cast-off material once comprised the star’s outer layer. The Hubble Space Telescope snapped a shot of the same transitioning star a few decades ago, but it appeared more like a fireball without the delicate details. Such a transformation occurs only with some stars and normally is the last step before they explode, going supernova, according to scientists. “We’ve never seen it like that before. It’s really exciting,” said Macarena Garcia Marin, a European Space Agency scientist who is part of the project. This star in the constellation Sagitta, officially known as WR 124, is 30 times as massive as our sun and already has shed enough material to account for 10 suns, according to NASA. Editor’s note: The Associated Press updated this story on March 15, 2023 to correct the location of the star to the constellation Sagitta, not Sagittarius We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Marcia Dunn, Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the rare and fleeting phase of a star on the cusp of death. NASA released the picture Tuesday at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. The observation was among the first made by Webb following its launch in late 2021. Its infrared eyes observed all the gas and dust flung into space by a huge, hot star 15,000 light-years away. A light-year is about 5.8 trillion miles. READ MORE: 3 things NASA is testing for its future moon base camp Shimmering in purple like a cherry blossom, the cast-off material once comprised the star’s outer layer. The Hubble Space Telescope snapped a shot of the same transitioning star a few decades ago, but it appeared more like a fireball without the delicate details. Such a transformation occurs only with some stars and normally is the last step before they explode, going supernova, according to scientists. “We’ve never seen it like that before. It’s really exciting,” said Macarena Garcia Marin, a European Space Agency scientist who is part of the project. This star in the constellation Sagitta, officially known as WR 124, is 30 times as massive as our sun and already has shed enough material to account for 10 suns, according to NASA. Editor’s note: The Associated Press updated this story on March 15, 2023 to correct the location of the star to the constellation Sagitta, not Sagittarius We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now