NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured stunning images of one of the earliest supernovas ever seen, revealing intricate details that resemble grains and knots found in wood. The telescope detected a brief pulse of X-rays and ultraviolet light from the supernova, which traveled through interstellar material and caused it to glow.
Nearly 350 years after the star’s explosion, scientists have gained insight into its aftermath using the JWST’s infrared capabilities. The images showcase tightly packed sheets with structures on remarkably small scales, measuring about 400 astronomical units in diameter – roughly one-hundredth of a light year. This discovery provides unprecedented views of the interstellar medium, allowing researchers to study its three-dimensional structure for the first time.
The findings are compared to a medical CT scan and will be presented at the upcoming American Astronomical Society meeting. The images were captured using the JWST’s near-infrared camera and highlight the phenomenon known as light echo, where a star’s explosion flashes light into surrounding dust, causing it to shine.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/tech/powerful-webb-telescope-captures-photos-one-earliest-supernova-ever-seen