NASA is celebrating the holiday season with images of the remnants of a supernova, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The star, named Cassiopeia A (Cas A), shines brightly approximately 11,000 light-years away from Earth, making it appear as a more fitting decoration for a Christmas tree. NASA's images show the inner shell of the star's dust, resembling smoke from a fire that emits bright orange and red colors, but the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) reveals the remnants of Cas A that reflect the spirit of the holidays.
NASA stated, “The image of Cas A comes as part of a collaboration with the White House to showcase the magic, wonder, and joy of the holiday season.” The NIRCam image provides a more detailed display of Cas A, showing a visible purple hue resembling diamond, which actually represents ionized gas.
Danny Milisavljevic from Purdue University, who led the research team, noted in a NASA press release that Cas A exploded about 340 years ago, leaving behind “threads that look like tiny glass shards.” The team nicknamed Cas A the "Green Monster" due to the presence of a green ring extending along the right side of the star's central cavity.
Additionally, a feature called “Baby Cas A” is noted as the blob in the bottom right corner. This is because it looks like a mini version of Cas A, and light from the supernova has reached and warmed the distant dust within it, creating an intriguing dust pattern.
