Nasa’s James Webb telescope captures image of star on verge of going supernova
- last year
Nasa’s James Webb Space telescope has spotted a rare and tumultuous sight 15,000 light-years away from Earth, capturing an image of a Wolf-Rayet star called WR 124 in the Sagittarius constellation.
Wolf-Rayet stars are some of the most luminous and massive stars in the universe and some briefly become a Wolf-Rayet before they explode in a supernova, so it’s rare for astronomers to spot them.
The Webb telescope glimpsed WR 124 in June 2022 and the new image reveals unprecedented details in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye.
Wolf-Rayet stars are some of the most luminous and massive stars in the universe and some briefly become a Wolf-Rayet before they explode in a supernova, so it’s rare for astronomers to spot them.
The Webb telescope glimpsed WR 124 in June 2022 and the new image reveals unprecedented details in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye.