Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach
The James Webb Space Telescope had a terrific 2022—and it will not stop churning out the hits as the year closes out. One of its first bangers, released in July, was of the Southern Ring Nebula (or “Eight-Burst” nebula), a cloud of gas stretching out to nearly a light-year in distance. The newest photo peered even more into the object and revealed an incredible array of new structures and colors spewing out, giving us a vibrant new glimpse of one of the prettiest things to gawk at in space.
One of the big scientific findings from those first photos was that the nebula seemed to be home to at least two stars, and maybe more. As it turns out, the Southern Ring Nebula was hiding five stars—enough for a stellar dinner party it seems.
In a new study published in Nature Astronomy on Dec. 8, a group of researchers from around the world analyzed 10 different images of the Southern Ring Nebula taken by the Webb telescope to reconstruct this meeting of the stars and pinpoint their size, location, and other notable characteristics. The result is a new composite image that puts the full stellar hangout on display.
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