Webb telescope's new image shows the Helix Nebula up close

The James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam has produced a higher-resolution image of the Helix Nebula that highlights dense cometary knots and color variations tied to temperature and chemistry.

The James Webb Space Telescope has released a new near-infrared image of the Helix Nebula. The image provides a closer, higher-resolution view of structures within the nebula. The Helix Nebula is located in the constellation Aquarius about 655 light-years from Earth and was identified in the early 19th century. The scene shows material shed by a dying star and the structures formed as that material cools. Key details: - The image was taken with Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and reveals detailed pillar-like features known as cometary knots. - The Helix Nebula is roughly 655 light-years away and is one of the nearest planetary nebulae to Earth. - The ESA reported that blistering winds of hot gas from the dying star are colliding with cooler shells of gas and dust, shaping the nebula's structure. - Colors in the image indicate temperature and chemistry: blue marks hotter gas, yellow corresponds to regions where hydrogen atoms form molecules, and reddish-orange shows the coolest material where dust begins to form. - The dying star is out of frame in the closer Webb image; expelled outer layers could someday form new stars and possibly planetary systems. Summary: The Webb image gives a closer, higher-resolution look at the Helix Nebula's structures and composition. Undetermined at this time.