Webb telescope captures stunning images of Ring Nebula

New Delhi: The powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has recorded breathtaking new images of the iconic Ring Nebula, also known as Messier 57.

Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula - objects that are the colourful remnants of dying stars that have thrown out much of their mass at the end of their lives.

It is a well-known object that is visible all summer long and is located in the constellation Lyra.

The images, released by an international team of astronomers from the UK, France, Canada, the US, Sweden, Spain, Brazil, Ireland and Belgium, showcase the nebula’s intricate and ethereal beauty in unprecedented detail, providing a mesmerising view of the celestial wonder with a donut-like structure of glowing gas.

Approximately 2,600 lightyears away from Earth, the nebula was born from a dying star that expelled its outer layers into space.

What makes these nebulae truly breath-taking is their variety of shapes and patterns, that often include delicate, glowing rings, expanding bubbles or intricate, wispy clouds.

“We are amazed by the details in the images, better than we have ever seen before. We always knew planetary nebulae were pretty. What we see now is spectacular,” said Albert Zijlstra, Professor in Astrophysics at the University of Manchester.

JWST’s NIRcam captured the main ring, surrounded by a faint halo and with many delicate structures.

The interior of the ring is filled with hot gas. The star which ejected all this material is visible at the very centre. It is extremely hot, with a temperature in excess of 100,000 degrees.

The nebula was ejected only about 4,000 years ago. The team also found several hundred linear features, pointing approximately at the central star. Their origin is not yet clear.