Submitted by James R A Davenport
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The Southern Ring Nebula captured by the JWST. NASA/ESA/CSA/O. De Marco/J. DePasquale
In a study to be published in Nature Astronomy, an international research team, which includes UW Astronomy's Professor Bruce Balick, analyzed 10 highly detailed exposures taken by the JWST of the Southern Ring Nebula. Their calculations show the central star that ejected the expanding nebula gas was originally three times the mass of the sun, and that unseen companions shaped the nebula’s intricate features. This analysis utilizes some of the first data collected by the JWST and will help scientists understand both how and why planetary nebulae form.
Read the full article in UW News.