{"id":509948,"date":"2026-02-28T15:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/509948\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:41:11","slug":"webbs-infrared-vision-reveals-planetary-nebula-that-looks-strikingly-like-celestial-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/509948\/","title":{"rendered":"Webb\u2019s Infrared Vision Reveals Planetary Nebula that Looks Strikingly Like Celestial Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The unmatched sensitivity of the NASA\/ESA\/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in both near- and mid-infrared light sheds new light on PMR 1, a little-studied nebula in the constellation of Vela.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.sci.news\/images\/enlarge13\/image_14589e-PMR-1.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-108685\" class=\"wp-image-108685 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image_14589-PMR-1.jpg\" alt=\"These Webb images show PMR 1, a planetary nebula some 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Vela. Image credit: NASA \/ ESA \/ CSA \/ STScI \/ Joseph DePasquale, STScI.\" width=\"580\" height=\"298\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-108685\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">These Webb images show PMR 1, a planetary nebula some 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Vela. Image credit: NASA \/ ESA \/ CSA \/ STScI \/ Joseph DePasquale, STScI.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/simbad.cds.unistra.fr\/simbad\/sim-id?Ident=PMR+1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">PMR 1<\/a> is a planetary nebula located approximately 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Vela.<\/p>\n<p>Also known as IRAS 09269-4923, the object was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spitzer.caltech.edu\/image\/sig13-013-exposed-cranium-nebula\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">first revealed<\/a> in infrared light by NASA\u2019s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>Webb\u2019s advanced instruments now show detail that enhances the nebula\u2019s brain-like appearance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe nebula appears to have distinct regions that capture different phases of its evolution \u2014 an outer shell of gas that was blown off first and consists mostly of hydrogen, and an inner cloud with more structure that contains a mix of different gases,\u201d the Webb astronomers <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/webb\/nasas-webb-examines-cranium-nebula\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">said<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth Webb\u2019s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) show a distinctive dark lane running vertically through the middle of the nebula that defines its brain-like look of left and right hemispheres.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWebb\u2019s resolution shows that this lane could be related to an outburst or outflow from the central star, which typically occurs as twin jets burst out in opposite directions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence for this is particularly notable at the top of the nebula in Webb\u2019s MIRI image, where it looks like the inner gas is being ejected outward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile there is still much to be understood about this nebula, it\u2019s clear that it is being created by a star near the end of its fuel-burning life,\u201d the astronomers said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn their end stages, stars expel their outer layers. It\u2019s a dynamic and fairly fast process, in cosmic terms. Webb has captured a moment in this star\u2019s decline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat ultimately happens will depend on the mass of the star, which is yet to be determined.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it\u2019s massive enough, it will explode in a supernova.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA less massive Sun-like star will continue to shed layers until only its core remains as a dense white dwarf, which will cool off over eons.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The unmatched sensitivity of the NASA\/ESA\/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in both near- and mid-infrared light sheds new&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509949,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[64,63,18157,11046,34969,131,35813,83394,255687,128,285,4031,18166],"class_list":{"0":"post-509948","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-csa","11":"tag-esa","12":"tag-ir","13":"tag-nasa","14":"tag-nebula","15":"tag-planetary-nebula","16":"tag-pmr-1","17":"tag-science","18":"tag-space","19":"tag-star","20":"tag-webb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}