Observing across the starry \u201cplains\u201d of space, NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope has taken new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. NASA\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope previously viewed this planetary nebula in 2000, imaging the lion face-shaped target in visible light and revealing features such as the \u201cmane\u201d of hazy, comet-shaped objects. Now Webb has captured a clearer, more detailed view of the Lion Nebula due to its high-resolution imaging.<\/p>\n
At first glance the nebula\u2019s overall structure in Webb\u2019s infrared images, with both the NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) instruments, may look quite similar to Hubble\u2019s earlier visible-light view. However, Webb\u2019s infrared vision highlights features like compact clumps of dust and a haze of ionized gas. It\u2019s taken several thousand years for this collection of gas and dust to reach its current shape, and the nebula\u2019s components continue to be altered.<\/p>\n
The source of these constant changes and the reason for the Lion Nebula\u2019s distinct appearance is located at the center: the remains of a dying star. Though it looks like the button nose of the lion, its energy and radiation are powering the intricate structures seen here.<\/p>\n
Massive stars undergo supernova explosions at the end of their lives, but these kinds of events are few and far in between. Most of the universe\u2019s stars have lower masses, like the one belonging to NGC 2392. When a lower-mass star can no longer sustain itself with nuclear reactions in its core, the star becomes unstable and pulsates, losing its mass by shedding its outer layers, which then turn into shells of gas and dust called a planetary nebula. (Stars at this life stage are responsible for producing much of the universe\u2019s observable dust.) The star\u2019s radiation drives the ejected material away, leaving behind the very hot stellar core, also known as a white dwarf.<\/p>\n
In the Lion Nebula\u2019s case, the death of the oxygen-rich central star has left behind a white dwarf that is \u201ccooking\u201d everything from the inside and producing a bubble of ionized gas as it does. The gas bubble, which forms the lion\u2019s face, is expanding over time and destroying dust that is in its path. Understanding why the swept-up gas has a complex structure of rings and shells, a common feature in planetary nebulae, is an ongoing endeavor.<\/p>\n
The mane of the lion is the interior of a dust shell that is being illuminated by the white dwarf at the center. The tufts of hair, which look like cometary tails of material, are compact clumps of dust that have survived the stellar core\u2019s radiation and protect the material that lies behind them.<\/p>\n
Webb\u2019s imagery \u201cfreezes\u201d this planetary nebula in time, though the star\u2019s death, and its tumultuous effects, go on. NGC 2392 will continue to undergo changes as its gas and dust migrate away from the stellar core. Astronomers estimate the lion will eventually disperse in approximately 10,000 years \u2014 a relatively short period in astronomical terms.<\/p>\n
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world\u2019s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).<\/p>\n
The following sections contain links to download this article's images and videos in all available resolutions followed by related information links, media contacts, and if available, research paper and Spanish translation links.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope imaged the planetary nebula NGC 2392, the Lion Nebula, using the observatory\u2019s NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The central star\u2019s remains are responsible for the nebula\u2019s structure, including a lion face-shaped bubble of ionized gas and dust \u201cmane.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope\u2019s mid-infrared image of planetary nebula NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula, highlights the varying dust structures. Some dust is being destroyed by the dying central star\u2019s radiation, while some dust filaments manage to survive.<\/p>\n
View more: Chandra X-ray Observatory Image of NGC 2392<\/p>\n
More Webb: News | Images | Science | Home Page<\/p>\n
Laura Betz
\nNASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center
\nGreenbelt, Maryland
\nlaura.e.betz@nasa.gov<\/p>\n
Abigail Major
\nSpace Telescope Science Institute
\nBaltimore, Maryland<\/p>\n