Never-Before-Seen Supernova Remnant Captured by James Webb Telescope

by Maliya Malik | 2023-04-26

Recently, a stunning colorful visual from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope revealed never-before-seen details of Cassiopeia A (Cas A).

Cas A is a supernova remnant that was left behind from a star explosion that occurred 340 years ago. This image helps scientists understand one of the most important phenomena in space: the presence of dust. In fact, dust connects stars to everything else, including the planets and all of the life that exists on them.

There are multicolored filaments of brilliant pink studded with clusters and knots inside the outer shell. This is material from the star itself, which is illuminated by a mixture of heavy elements such as oxygen, argon, and neon, as well as dust emission. These heavy elements are significant because they serve as the foundation for life, stars, and planets, including Earth.

Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. It spans approximately 10 light-years. This new image uses data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to reveal Cas A in a new light. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue), T. Temim (Princeton), I. De Looze (Ghent University). Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI). — Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. It spans approximately 10 light-years. This new image uses data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to reveal Cas A in a new light.

**Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue), T. Temim (Princeton), I. De Looze (Ghent University). Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI).**

Astronomers can also learn more about supernovae by researching their dust content, which can help us understand the building blocks of planets and life.

Additionally, supernovae are considered one of the original sources of elements heavier than iron in the universe. Even the iron in your blood can be traced back to supernovae or similar cosmic explosions from long before our Sun had formed. Supernovae are thus essential to life.

“By understanding the process of exploding stars, we’re reading our own origin story,” said Danny Milisavljevic of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, principal investigator of the Webb program that captured these observations. The team is still trying to understand the sources behind the different colors in the image.

Supernovae, such as the one that gave rise to Cas A, are critical to life as we know it. They disperse metals calcium and iron throughout interstellar space, seeding new generations of stars and planets.