A new photograph of the Crab Nebula, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, is helping scientists analyze the composition and history of the ancient supernova remnant.
Located in the constellation Taurus, the Crab Nebula is the result of a supernova explosion that was seen on Earth in 1054 AD and was bright enough to be observed during the day.
Now using Webb’s MIRI instrument and the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), this new image of the Crab Nebula, released June 17, is helping scientists better understand supernovae and star evolution.
Located more than 6,500 light-years from Earth, the Crab Nebula is all that remains of a core-collapsed supernova after the death of a massive star. It was the first astronomical object found to be associated with a supernova explosion.
According to a June 17 NASA Webb Mission Team press release, the Crab Nebula is very unusual. Because of its atypical composition and very low explosion energy, scientists previously explained it as an electron-capture supernova, a rare type of explosion that results from a star with a less developed core.
Now, new Webb data expands the possible interpretations of the nebula’s composition, meaning it may not have been caused by an electron-captured explosion, but rather a faint supernova collapsed by an iron core.
Webb is opening up the Crab Nebula to help scientists find out what’s inside. 🦀
The Crab is a remnant of what was once a massive star, but it has a very unusual composition, so scientists think its star may not have been typical either: https://t.co/bFfLPusiPn pic.twitter.com/36DljlDI1c
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) June 17, 2024
For the first time ever, the Webb telescope, with its sensitive infrared capabilities, focused on two regions located in the crab’s inner filaments and mapped the light emitted from the dust in high resolution.
After mapping the warm dust emission with Webb, the team created a well-rounded picture of the dust distribution: The outermost filaments contain relatively warmer dust, while cooler grains predominate near the center.
While other supernova remnants have dust in their centers, the Crab Nebula’s dust is found in the dense filaments of the outer mantle.
Webb also mapped the light emitted from dust in the Crab Nebula in high resolution for the first time. Unlike other supernova remnants, which have concentrated dust at their centers, the Crab Nebula’s dust is found in dense filaments of the outer mantle. pic.twitter.com/7yVNEZt4Bt
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) June 17, 2024
“The dust grains, represented as fluffy magenta material, form a cage-like structure that is most apparent toward the lower left and upper right of the remnant,” according to Webb’s press release.
“Dust filaments are also woven through the interior of Krab and sometimes coincide with regions of doubly ionized sulfur (sulfur III) colored green. The yellow-white speckled filaments that form large loop-like structures around the center of the supernova remnant represent regions where dust and doubly ionized sulfur.”
“The Crab Nebula follows a tradition in astronomy: The closest, brightest and best-studied objects tend to be bizarre,” said Nathan Smith of the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory and co-author of the paper.