A newly-released image of a supernova remnant is giving astronomers a much deeper insight into the space phenomenon than was possible in the past.
Danny Milisavljevic is an associate professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue University’s College of Science. “This is basically the clearest look we’ve ever had at a young exploded star,” he says.
The newly-released image was taken by his team with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope using Webb’s near-infrared camera (NIRCam), allowing the device to capture detail at a greater level than previously possible.
Milisavljevic says NIRCam’s sensitivity to near infra-red waves enables the camera to “map the exploded debris with clarity unlike any other”—explaining the astonishing clarity of the image shown on his screen.