JWST captures a rare star 15,000 light-years away nearing its end

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has released a phenomenal image of a supernova waiting to happen. Called a Wolf-Rayet, these stars are among the most massive, luminous, and "briefly detectable" stars known. They're at an advanced stage of stellar evolution and expel most of their outer layers into their surroundings before exploding as supernovae.

Webb had a rare sighting of a Wolf-Rayet star in June 2022. In the latest image, the telescope shows the star, WR 124, in unprecedented detail, thanks to its infrared instruments. The star is 15,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.

Not all stars go through a brief Wolf-Rayet phase before evolving into a supernova, which is why astronomers think Webb has captured a rare phase. This particular star is 30 times the mass of the Sun and has shed 10 Suns’ worth of material – so far. According to a release, as the ejected gas moves away from the star and cools, cosmic dust forms and glows in the infrared light detectable by Webb.

Webb's image of WR 124 will help astronomers delve deeper into the understanding of cosmic dust

The image is more evidence that Webb has enhanced capabilities to study details in cosmic dust, which is best observed in infrared wavelengths of light. Dust is essential to the workings of the universe as it protects forming stars, helps form planets, and is a platform for the building blocks of life.

"Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) balances the brightness of WR 124’s stellar core and the knotty details in the fainter surrounding gas. The telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals the clumpy structure of the gas and dust nebula of the ejected material now surrounding the star," the release says.

Astronomers did not have sufficient information to explore questions of dust production in WR 124 and if the dust grains were large enough to survive the supernova. Now that we have Webb, these questions can be investigated with real data.

Stars like WR 124 are also significant as they can help astronomers peek into the early history of the universe. "Webb’s detailed image of WR 124 preserves forever a brief, turbulent time of transformation, and promises future discoveries that will reveal the long-shrouded mysteries of cosmic dust," the release says.