New Webb image reveals Cas A supernova remnant

Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is the youngest known remnant from a massive exploding star in our galaxy. Located 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia, it spans about 10 light-years. According to NASA, it is a prototypical supernova remnant and has been widely studied by a number of ground-based and space-based observatories, including the space agency’s own Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Webb captured the data from Cas A using the telescope’s mid-infrared instrument (MIRI), with NASA later converting the infrared into visible light in order to to create the impressively detailed image. Historical multi-wavelength observations can be combined with the new data to provide scientists with a more comprehensive understanding of the remnant, according to the NASA team.

“Cas A represents our best opportunity to look at the debris field of an exploded star and run a kind of stellar autopsy to understand what type of star was there beforehand and how that star exploded,” said Danny Milisavljevic of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, principal investigator of the Webb programme that captured the observations.