A Star’s Final Scream, Frozen In Time
Frozen In Time This Breathtaking High-Resolution Image Shows The Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), Located About 11,090 Light-Years Away In The Constellation Cassiopeia. Spanning Roughly 10 Light-Years Across, Cas A Is Expanding At A Staggering 4,000 To 6,000 Km/S, Offering A Glimpse Into The Violent Aftermath Of A Massive Star’s Explosive Death.
Captured By The James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (Nircam), The Image Reveals The Remnant’s Shattered-Glass Structure And Shows How The Expanding Shell Of Stellar Debris Interacts With Gas Once Expelled By The Star Before Its Explosion.
The Star’s Core
The Clumpy Orange And Pink Regions In The Inner Shell Are Rich In Heavy Elements Like Sulfur, Oxygen, Argon, And Neon, Remnants Of The Star’s Core. Meanwhile, The Hazy Material Along The Edges Results From Collisions Between This Ejecta And Surrounding Interstellar Gas. The White Strands Scattered Across The Image Represent Synchrotron Radiation—Produced By High-Speed Charged Particles Spiraling Along Magnetic Field Lines.
Image Credit
The Final Composite Was Created Using Three Filters: F162m (Blue), F356w (Green), And F444w (Red).
Image Credits: Nasa, Esa, Csa, Stsci, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue), T. Temim (Princeton), I. De Looze (University Of Gent)