NASA’s Webb Examines Cranium Nebula
Summary
The telescope used two instruments to capture mind-bending new views of the little-known nebula PMR 1.
Astronomers are losing their heads over the latest images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which bear a striking resemblance to a transparent cosmic cranium, revealing the “brain” inside. The nebula, officially named PMR 1, is being created by an aging star that is expelling its outer layers. Webb’s predecessor in infrared space-based astronomy, the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope, also observed this peculiar nebula, but many of its mysteries remain to be revealed.
Full Article
Two heads are better than one in the latest images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which reveal new detail in a mysterious, little-studied nebula surrounding a dying star. Nebula PMR 1 is a cloud of gas and dust that bears an uncanny resemblance to a brain in a transparent skull, inspiring its nickname, the “Exposed Cranium” nebula. Webb captured its unusual features in both near- and mid-infrared light. The nebula was first revealed in infrared light by a predecessor to Webb, NASA’s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope, more than a decade ago. Webb’s ...Visit NASA Science to view the full news release including article text and associated Webb imagery, graphics, scientific visualizations, videos, captions, text descriptions, and other information.
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.
News Center Prefooter
Inbox Astronomy
Sign up to receive the latest news, images, and discoveries about the universe:
Contact our News Team
Ask the News Team
Contact our Outreach Office
Ask the Outreach Office