{"id":147635,"date":"2025-11-22T05:38:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T05:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/147635\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T05:38:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T05:38:09","slug":"nasas-webb-telescope-captures-the-dust-clouds-of-apep-named-for-the-egyptian-god-of-chaos-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/147635\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA’s Webb Telescope Captures the Dust Clouds of Apep, Named for the Egyptian God of Chaos \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope<\/a> has come through yet again with an unprecedented image from our Solar System, this time of a unique pair of Wolf-Rayet stars<\/a> known as Apep. A Wolf-Rayet is a massive, very hot star that\u2019s in the later stages of its life, quickly losing mass with the help of strong stellar winds. Thanks to Webb, researchers were able to observe coiled shells of dust around the pair for the first time. Previous documentation collected by other telescopes had only ever shown one dust shell.<\/p>\n

What makes this observation especially interesting is that there\u2019s actually a third fiery orb at play here, which Webb\u2019s new data confirms is gravitationally bound to the other two in this system. A massive supergiant, this third player \u201cslices\u201d holes into the dust shells\u2014which have been emitted over the last 700 years\u2014creating a unique effect. \u201cTo find the holes the third star has cut like a knife through the dust, look for the central point of light and trace a V shape from about 10 o\u2019clock to 2 o\u2019clock,\u201d NASA<\/a> says.<\/p>\n

The celestial phenomena<\/a>\u2019s name, Apep, references the Egyptian god of chaos. Because while it may appear to be moving slowly, these swirling clouds race at a remarkable speed. \u201cThe dust-producing Wolf-Rayet stars in Apep aren\u2019t exactly on a tranquil cruise,\u201d NASA says. \u201cThey are whipping through space and sending out dust at 1,200 to 2,000 miles per second.\u201d Because the dust is so dense, it shows up clearly in the image.<\/p>\n

\u201cWebb\u2019s data, combined with observations from the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, confirmed that the two Wolf-Rayet stars sail past one another approximately every 190 years,\u201d says a statement. \u201cOver each orbit, they make a close pass for 25 years, producing and spewing amorphous carbon dust.\u201d <\/p>\n

Find more on NASA\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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