Two Views of the Gas in the Southern Ring Nebula (NIRCam and MIRI Composite Images)

Two Views of the Gas in the Southern Ring Nebula (NIRCam and MIRI Composite Images)

The Webb Space Telescope offers dramatically different views of the same scene! Each image combines near- and mid-infrared light from three filters.

At left, Webb’s image of the Southern Ring Nebula highlights the very hot gas that surrounds the central stars. This hot gas is banded by a sharp ring of cooler gas, which appears in both images.

At right, Webb’s image traces the star’s scattered outflows that have reached farther into the cosmos. Most of the molecular gas that lies outside the band of cooler gas is also cold. It is also far clumpier, consisting of dense knots of molecular gas that form a halo around the central stars. “One of the things that drew my attention was the strong difference between the images of the hot ionized gas and the cold molecular gas,” explained Isabel Aleman of Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI), Brazil. “The hot gas is very smooth, but the cold gas shows these mini clumps, spikes, and arcs. Webb’s images are very, very rich in detail.”

By accounting for the temperatures and gas contents in both areas, inside and outside the band, and by combining Webb’s data with precise measurements from other observatories, she and the research team were able to create far more accurate models to demonstrate when gas was ejected by the central star (which appears red in the image at left).

What about the third star that is visible at the lower-right edge of the band within the nebula? From Webb’s vantage point, it appears within the scene, but isn’t part of the nebula itself. It’s merely “photobombing” this party.

Credits

Science

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Orsola De Marco (Macquarie University)

Image Processing

Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

About The Object
Object Name Southern Ring Nebula, NGC 3132, Eight-Burst Nebula
Object Description Planetary Nebula
R.A. Position 10:06:58.54
Dec. Position -40:26:00
Constellation Vela
Distance 2,000 light-years (590 parsecs)
Dimensions Image is about 2.4 arcmin across (1.4 light-years)
About The Data
Data Description This image was created with Webb data from proposal . It is part of Webb Early Release Observations. The Early Release Observations and associated materials were developed, executed, and compiled by the ERO production team: Jaclyn Barrientes, Claire Blome, Hannah Braun, Matthew Brown, Margaret Carruthers, Dan Coe, Joseph DePasquale, Nestor Espinoza, Macarena Garcia Marin, Karl Gordon, Alaina Henry, Leah Hustak, Andi James, Ann Jenkins, Anton Koekemoer, Stephanie LaMassa, David Law, Alexandra Lockwood, Amaya Moro-Martin, Susan Mullally, Alyssa Pagan, Dani Player, Klaus Pontoppidan, Charles Proffitt, Christine Pulliam, Leah Ramsay, Swara Ravindranath, Neill Reid, Massimo Robberto, Elena Sabbi, Leonardo Ubeda.  The EROs were also made possible by the foundational efforts and support from the JWST instruments, STScI planning and scheduling, Data Management teams, and Office of Public Outreach.
Instrument JWST>NIRCam and MIRI
Exposure Dates 3 June 2022
Filters Left image: NIRCam > F187N, F405N; MIRI > F1800W

Right image: NIRCam > F212N, F470N; MIRI > F770W
About The Image
Color Info These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. Several filters were used to sample narrow and broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Red: F770W and F1800W, Green: F405N and F470N, Blue: F187N and F212N  
About The Object
Object Name A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
Object Description The type of astronomical object.
R.A. Position Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
Dec. Position Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
Constellation One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
Distance The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
Dimensions The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
About The Data
Data Description
  • Proposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
  • Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
Instrument The science instrument used to produce the data.
Exposure Dates The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
Filters The camera filters that were used in the science observations.
About The Image
Image Credit The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content.
Publication Date The date and time the release content became public.
Color Info A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.
Orientation The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere.

Download