Using the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on board the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have captured a new image of the Red Spider Nebula, a large planetary nebula located in the constellation Sagittarius.
This Webb image shows the Red Spider Nebula. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/Webb/JH Kastner, Rochester Institute of Technology.
The Red Spider Nebula was discovered by American astronomer and physicist Edward Charles Pickering on July 15, 1882.
The object resides approximately 12,420 light years from Earth, in the constellation Sagittarius.
Also known as NGC 6537, ESO 590-1 or IRAS 18021-1950, it has a radius of 3.6 light years.
“Planetary nebulae like the Red Spider Nebula form when ordinary stars like the Sun reach the end of their lives,” Webb astronomers said in a statement.
“After transforming into cold red giants, these stars shed their outer layers and fling them into space, exposing their white-hot cores.”
“Ultraviolet light from the central star ionizes the released material, causing it to glow.”
“The planetary nebula phase of a star’s life is as ephemeral as it is beautiful, lasting only a few tens of thousands of years.”
“The central star of the Red Spider Nebula is visible in this Webb image, shining just brighter than the webs of dusty gas surrounding it.”
In optical wavelength images, such as those from Hubble, the star appears faint and blue.
But in the NIRCam images, it appears red: using its sensitive near-infrared capabilities, Webb revealed a veil of hot dust surrounding the central star.
“This hot dust likely orbits the central star, in a disk structure,” the astronomers said.
“Although only one star is visible at the heart of the Red Spider Nebula, a hidden companion star may also be hiding there.”
“A stellar companion could explain the nebula’s shape, including its characteristic narrow size and broad outflows.”
“This hourglass shape is visible in other planetary nebulae such as the Butterfly Nebula, which Webb also recently observed.”
“Webb’s new view of the Red Spider Nebula reveals for the first time the full extent of the nebula’s extended lobes, which form the spider’s ‘legs,'” the researchers said.
“These lobes, shown in blue, are traced by the light emitted by H2 molecules, which contain two hydrogen atoms bonded together.
“Spanning the entire field of view of NIRCam, these lobes appear to be closed bubble-like structures that each extend approximately three light years.”
“Gas flowing out of the center of the nebula inflated these massive bubbles for thousands of years.”
“Gas is also actively escaping from the center of the nebula, as these new observations from Webb show.”
“An elongated purple “S” shape centered on the nebula’s core follows the light from ionized iron atoms.”
“This feature marks where a fast-moving jet emerged near the nebula’s central star and collided with material previously shed by the star, sculpting the nebula’s undulating structure seen today.”
