Our Webb Space Telescope Captures a Cosmic Ring on This Week @NASA – August 25, 2023

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured stunning images of the well-known Ring Nebula, which is approximately 2,200 light-years away from Earth. The images provide unprecedented spatial resolution and spectral sensitivity. The bright ring that gives the nebula its name is composed of about 20,000 individual clumps of dense molecular hydrogen gas, each of them about as massive as the Earth. The Ring Nebula is considered one of the greatest examples of a planetary nebula we have so far. Planetary nebulas are basically regions of cosmic gas and dust formed from the outer shells of dying stars. The James Webb Space Telescope has struck gold once again, earning a rather beautiful new view on this iconic cosmic halo.