Published: 14:06 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 15:41 BST, 19 August 2026<\/p>\n
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has snapped stunning new images of the 'Lion Nebula'.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Officially known as NGC 2392, the nebula gets its nickname thanks to its resemblance to a lion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Around the edge of the nebula, hazy structures form a 'mane', while the stellar core, located at the centre, looks just like a button nose.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lion Nebula was first photographed in visible light by the Hubble Space Telescope back in 2000.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, James Webb has provided an even sharper look at the cosmic object in infrared.<\/p>\n
'Webb's imagery "freezes" this planetary nebula in time, though the star's death, and its tumultuous effects, go on,' NASA explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
'NGC 2392 will continue to undergo changes as its gas and dust migrate away from the stellar core.\u00a0<\/p>\n
'Astronomers estimate the lion will eventually disperse in approximately 10,000 years \u2013 a relatively short period in astronomical terms.'<\/p>\n
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has snapped stunning new images of the 'Lion Nebula'. Pictured: the NIRCam and MIRI image<\/p>\n
James Webb has provided an even sharper look at the cosmic object in infrared. Pictured: the photo taken by the MIRI camera<\/p>\n
The Lion Nebula is located around 5,000 light\u2013years from Earth, in the constellation Gemini.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It formed when the star at its centre died, shedding its outer layers into space, and leaving behind a stellar core called a white dwarf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
'In the Lion Nebula, the oxygen\u2013rich central star has died and left behind a white dwarf that is effectively "cooking" the nebula from within,' NASA explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
'Its intense radiation is creating a bubble of ionized gas that makes up the lion's recognizable face.<\/p>\n