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NASA has released some stunning images of dying stars, offering the most in-depth view of the planetary nebula NGC 1514 to date.
The images, taken from the James Webb Space Telescope, show one of the two stars in the centre shed its layers of gas and dust as it approaches the end of its life cycle.
Web's distinct mid-infrared observations highlight the subtle features of the nebula, particularly its "fuzzy" dusty rings and the "holes" where the material has cracked through in the core pink region.
A network of more distinct holes near the central stars indicates where faster material punched through. Its rings, previously visible in infrared light only, now resemble fuzzy clusters grouped in tangled patterns.
Although the rings surrounding NGC 1514 were found in 2010, Webb has allowed researchers to thoroughly investigate the nebula's behaviour.
The two stars in the centre, which Webb viewed as a single object, are accompanied by bright diffraction spikes. They are encased in an orange dust arc and orbit in a tight, extended nine-year orbit, NASA said.
The scene was mainly created by one of these stars, which was once several times bigger than the Sun. The star's hot, compact core only remained after its outer layers were depleted, the space agency said.
NGC 1514 is more likely to resemble an hourglass with the ends chopped off, but Webb's observations indicate that the nebula is at a 60-degree angle, giving the impression that it is pouring from a can.
The strange forms might have occurred as the companion got extremely close to the star while it was losing material at its peak. This interaction might have resulted in rings rather than a sphere.
This scene will continue to evolve for many more millennia; it's been forming for at least 4,000 years, NASA said.
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) captured NGC 1514 in 2010, but it was far less detailed than the James Webb Space Telescope.
Mike Ressler, a researcher and project scientist for Webb's MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California, noted, “Before Webb, we weren't able to detect most of this material, let alone observe it so clearly.”
NGC 1514 is located roughly 1,500 light-years away from Earth and is a member of the Taurus constellation.
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