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Southern Ring Nebula

Two images displaying the distribution of gas in the Southern Ring Nebula.
Two images displaying the distribution of gas in the Southern Ring Nebula. Image: Science NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Orsola De Marco (Macquarie University) Image Processing Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

These two images depict the same nebula: the Southern Ring Nebula, which was also one of the first structures imaged by Webb and published last July.

These views of the nebula were published in December 2022, and showcase how Webb can look at different aspects of the same structure. The nebula was born about 2,500 years ago, when a star 2,000 light-years away finally died and gave way to a brilliant supernova. A full breakdown of the “murder scene” depicted in this image can be found in Gizmodo’s earlier coverage.

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