What our sun will look like when it dies: James Webb captures the final chapters of a star’s life in never-before-seen detail after capturing ‘extraordinary’ images of the Ring Nebula

It’s a breathtaking image that shows a glimpse of what our sun could look like when it dies.

The image, taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), reveals the intricate and ethereal beauty of the iconic Ring Nebula in never-before-seen detail.

Also known as Messier 57, this mesmerizing object is located about 2,600 light-years away from Earth and was born from the remains of a dying star.

It is this expulsion of stellar material that gives the cosmic masterpiece its distinct structure and vibrant colors.

Like fireworks, different chemical elements in the nebula emit light with specific colors. This then results in beautiful and colorful objects, allowing astronomers to study the chemical evolution of these objects in detail.

A close-up of part of the nebula shows that the ring is made up of large numbers of small clumps. They contain molecular hydrogen and are much cooler and denser than the rest of the nebula. Some of the clumps are beginning to develop tails (bottom right), behaving like planet-sized comets

The hope is that experts will provide the new JWST images an unparalleled opportunity to study and understand the complex processes that have formed the Ring Nebula.

Located in the constellation of Lyra, the object is popular among stargazers because even a small telescope will reveal the Ring Nebula’s “doughnut-like” structure of glowing gas that gave it its name.

Albert Zijlstra, professor of astrophysics at the University of Manchester, said: ‘We are amazed at the detail in the images, better than we have ever seen before.

“We always knew that planetary nebulae were beautiful. What we are seeing now is spectacular.’

Dr. Mike Barlow, the chief scientist of the JWST Ring Nebula Project, added: “The James Webb Space Telescope has given us an extraordinary view of the Ring Nebula that we have never seen before.

“The high-resolution images not only reveal the intricate details of the nebula’s expanding shell, but also reveal the inner region around the central white dwarf in exquisite clarity.

“We are witnessing the final chapters of a star’s life, a preview of the sun’s distant future so to speak, and JWST’s observations have opened a new window for understanding these awe-inspiring cosmic events.

“We can use the Ring Nebula as our laboratory to study how planetary nebulae form and evolve.”

What makes planetary nebulae like Messier 57 so fascinating is their variety of shapes and patterns.

These often include delicate, glowing rings, expanding bubbles, or intricate, wispy clouds.

Fascinating: The image, taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), reveals the intricate and ethereal beauty of the iconic Ring Nebula in never-before-seen detail

Unprecedented Detail: This image shows a close-up view of the southern portion of the nebula’s outer halo, just outside the main ring. Thousands of distant galaxies are visible in the background, some with a distinct spiral structure

The hope is that the new JWST images will provide experts with an unparalleled opportunity to study and understand the complex processes that have formed the Ring Nebula.

The patterns result from the complex interplay of several physical processes that are not yet well understood.

Dr. Nick Cox, the co-lead scientist, said: ‘These images have more than just aesthetic appeal; they provide a wealth of scientific insights into the processes of stellar evolution.

“By studying the Ring Nebula with JWST, we hope to gain a better understanding of the life cycles of stars and the elements they release into the cosmos.”

The images were released today by an international team of astronomers led by Professor Barlow, Dr. Cox and Professor Zijlstra.

Parts of the Nebula: What makes planetary nebulae like Messier 57 so fascinating is their variety of shapes and patterns

Webb launched from French Guiana on Christmas Day 2021 with the aim of looking back in time to the dawn of the universe

Webb was launched from Guyana Space Center on Christmas Day 2021 with the aim of looking back in time to the dawn of the universe.

Astronomers hope the $10bn (£7.4bn) observatory will be able to reveal what happened just a few hundred million years after the big bang.

The observatory will spend more than a decade in an area of ​​gravitational balance between the sun and Earth called L2.

While there, it will explore the universe in the infrared spectrum, allowing it to see through clouds of gas and dust where stars are being born.

The James Webb Telescope: NASA’s $10 billion telescope is designed to detect light from the earliest stars and galaxies

The James Webb telescope has been described as a “time machine” that could help unlock the secrets of our universe.

The telescope will be used to look back at the first galaxies born in the early universe more than 13.5 billion years ago, and to observe the sources of stars, exoplanets and even the moons and planets of our solar system.

The massive telescope, which has already cost more than $7bn (£5bn), is thought to be a successor to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope

The James Webb telescope and most of its instruments have an operating temperature of about 40 Kelvin – about minus 387 Fahrenheit (minus 233 Celsius).

It is the world’s largest and most powerful orbital space telescope, capable of looking back 100-200 million years after the Big Bang.

The orbiting infrared observatory is designed to be about 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA likes to think of James Webb as a successor to Hubble rather than a replacement, as the two will be working together for a while.

The Hubble telescope was launched on April 24, 1990 via the space shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

It orbits Earth at a speed of about 17,000 mph (27,300 km/h) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles altitude.