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NASA's Webb Reveals Intricate Layers of Interstellar Dust, Gas

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January 14, 2025 2:15PM (EST)Release ID: 2025-102
A few dozen white stars, some with Webb’s signature 8-point diffraction spikes, on the black background of space. Tightly packed, red-orange filaments extend horizontally from upper left to lower right, with a bulging upward curve on the right that is closer to the top. The filaments resemble wood grain. The image is labeled August 19, 2024 at bottom left.

Summary

A supernova flashbulb illuminated otherwise unseen material between the stars.

The space between the stars is filled with gas and dust – sometimes thick, sometimes thin, and often invisible unless illuminated. A cosmic spotlight in the form of a supernova flash has lit up interstellar material in the constellation of Cassiopeia. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is showing astronomers new details including knots, sheets, and clouds that are likely sculpted by magnetic fields.

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News releases highlighting the discoveries of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are produced for NASA by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, under NASA Contract NAS5-03127. News release content is developed by the News Team in STScI’s Office of Public Outreach.

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