James Webb vs. Hubble: this is what this amazing nebula looks like 20 years later

About 340 years ago, the remnant of a dead star was projected onto our sky for the first time. Today we know its remnants as Cassiopeia A, a supernova whose structure has been extensively studied by astronomers and lies 11,000 light-years away. In this case, The James Webb Space Telescope should create its own versionand revealed much more than his predecessors.

Unlike Hubble, James Webb can see in a much wider spectrum of light. So, using their special infrared devices, The space telescope was able to detect forms that scientists could not see before. From very hot regions where star formation is active, to long clouds of cold dust that form complex filamentous structures.

In this image taken by James Webb, we can see several heavy components formed as a result of the star’s death. In the center of the image we find elements such as oxygen, argon, neon and some dust.. Similarly, the 20 years that have elapsed from the Hubble photograph to the present also allows us to see the expansion of material after the stellar explosion.

Meanwhile, the outer ring of a celestial body glows orange. This striking color is the result of hot dust formed after the stellar material came into contact with surrounding material during the explosion.

Another surprise the researchers came up with is in the green spot in the center of the photo. hitherto unknown ectoplasmic material. “Its shape and complexity are unexpected and difficult for scientists to understand,” says WHAT.

James Webb reveals new details of the mysterious nebula Cassiopeia A

Tools like James Webb are designed to look beyond. So with your tools MIRI (mid infrared instrument), NIRKam (near infrared camera) and NIRSpets (near infrared spectrograph) detects elements that emit light that is weaker than what we can perceive with our eyes.

In 1968, British astronomer John Flamsteed discovered Cassiopeia A. However, Only in 1947 the opening became official., thanks to the Cambridge radio astronomers. This nebula is the strongest source of radio emission outside our solar system. For this reason, it has become the darling of radio observatories around the world. Now James Webb opens up a new frontier for us.

Finally, Cassiopeia A hides a small but very dense neutron star in its core.. This celestial body is usually the result of massive stellar explosions as its intense gravitational fields cause the electrons in its atoms to collapse into their nuclei. This creates a large ball of neutrons.