📢 #Webb reveals details of the Southern Ring planetary nebula that were previously hidden, helping us better understand how stars evolve and transform their environments. Read more at the link in bio or below 👇 Some stars save the best for last. Planetary nebulae are the shells of gas and dust ejected from dying stars and they make for a spectacular view. Since planetary nebulae exist for tens of thousands of years, observing such a nebula is like watching a movie in exceptionally slow motion. Two stars, which are locked together in a tight orbit, shape the local landscape of this planetary nebula. Webb's infrared images feature new details in this complex system. The bright star at the centre of the image to the left, while prominent when viewed by Webb in near-infrared light, is not actually the source of the nebula, but it plays a supporting role in sculpting the surrounding nebula. Zoom in this photo and you will see a second star, barely visible at lower left along one of the bright star’s diffraction spikes. You can see this star better in the image to the right from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which shows for the first time that the second star is surrounded by dust. This star has ejected at least eight layers of gas and dust over thousands of years. Each shell represents an episode during which the fainter star lost some of its mass. The widest shells of gas toward the outer areas of the image were ejected earlier. Those closest to the star are the most recent. These images also reveal a cache of distant galaxies in the background. Most of the multi-coloured points of light seen here are galaxies — not stars. View higher resolution images and read more at the link in bio. 📷 @nasa @europeanspaceagency @canadianspaceagency STScI, and the Webb ERO Production Team #NASA #ESA #CSA #Webb #Space #Telescope #ESAWebb #neverstopexploring #instaspace #WebbSeesFarther #EuropeMeetsWebb