NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has taken the most detailed image of planetary nebula NGC 1514 to date thanks to its unique mid-infrared observations. Webb shows its rings as intricate clumps of dust. It’s also easier to see holes punched through the bright pink central region.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Michael Ressler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)
In this photo released on April 14, 2025, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope revealed the gas and dust ejected by a dying star at the heart of NGC 1514. Using mid-infrared data showed the “fuzzy” clumps arranged in tangled patterns, and a network of clearer holes close to the central stars shows where faster material punched through.
This scene has been forming for at least 4,000 years — and will continue to change over many more millennia. At the center are two stars that appear as one in Webb’s observation, and are set off with brilliant diffraction spikes. The stars follow a tight, elongated nine-year orbit and are draped in an arc of dust represented in orange.
One of these stars, which used to be several times more massive than our Sun, took the lead role in producing this scene. “As it evolved, it puffed up, throwing off layers of gas and dust in in a very slow, dense stellar wind,” said David Jones, a senior scientist at the Institute of Astrophysics on the Canary Islands, who proved there is a binary star system at the center in 2017.
Learn more about planetary nebula NGC 1514.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Michael Ressler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)
NASA的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜通过其独特的中红外观测能力，拍摄了迄今为止最清晰的行星状星云NGC 1514图像。韦伯望远镜将其环状结构呈现为复杂的尘埃团块，同时也更清楚地显示了穿过亮粉色中心区域的空洞。
影像来源: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Michael Ressler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)
在这张2025年4月14日发布的照片中，NASA的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜揭示了NGC 1514中心一颗垂死恒星喷射出的气体和尘埃。通过中红外数据可以看到这些“模糊”的尘埃团块排列成纠缠不清的图案，靠近中心恒星的一个更清晰的空洞显示出更快的物质如何穿透其间。
这个景象已经形成了至少4,000年——并将在未来的数千年中继续变化。图像中心有两颗恒星，在韦伯的观测中看似为一颗，并伴有明亮的衍射光芒。这两颗恒星以一个拉长的9年周期轨道紧密运行，被橙色尘埃弧包围。
其中一颗恒星曾比我们的太阳大几倍，是制造这一景象的主角。“在其演化过程中，它膨胀起来，并通过极为缓慢而致密的恒星风抛出气体和尘埃层，”加那利群岛天体物理研究所高级科学家大卫·琼斯说，他在2017年证实NGC 1514中心存在一个双星系统。
了解关于行星状星云NGC 1514的更多信息。
影像来源: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Michael Ressler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)
