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NASA's Webb Telescope Will Study an Iconic Supernova

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February 28, 2019 10:00AM (EST)Release ID: 2019-13
In the center of the image is a supernova remnant with a bright orange center surrounded by a fuzzy red halo of dust. The outer edges of this red halo shine through a ring of blue gas, giving the outer edges of the supernova a splotchy purple appearance. Just inside the blue ring is a ring of bright green and green-blue fuzzy dots that appear connected to one another as if by a string, slightly resembling a bright green pearl necklace. The background is black.

Summary

Webb Will Probe the Dusty Remains of Supernova 1987A

Within a galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud, a star exploded 160,000 years ago. In 1987, light from that exploding star reached Earth. Over the past 32 years, astronomers have studied Supernova 1987A to learn about the physics of supernovas and their gaseous remnants. Those observations have revealed a surprising amount of dust, up to an entire sun’s worth. NASA’s infrared James Webb Space Telescope will study the dust within SN 1987A to learn about its composition, temperature and density.

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