NASA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured a picture of one of the earliest supernovae ever recorded, with features that look like grains and knots found in wood.

“A long time ago, the core of a massive star collapsed, creating a shock wave that exploded outward and tore the star apart,” NASA said on its website. “When the shock wave reaches the star’s surface, it penetrates the star’s surface, Produces brief, intense pulses of X-rays and ultraviolet light that propagate outward into the surrounding space.”

Now, nearly 350 years later, scientists are understanding the consequences when pulses of light reach interstellar material and cause it to glow.

The infrared light produced was captured by JWST, revealing details that look like knots and whorls in the wood grain.

Scientists say the powerful Webb telescope captured the most distant known galaxy

This background image of the area surrounding the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A was released in 2008 by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. By taking multiple images of the region over three years using the Spitzer Space Telescope, the researchers were able to examine a large number of light returns. Now, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has imaged some of these light echoes in greater detail. The lower right inset shows an epoch of Webb observations, while the left inset shows a Webb image of the central supernova remnant released in 2023. (Spitzer Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Y. Kim (University of Arizona/University of Chicago). Cassiopeia A Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danny Milisavljevic (Purdue University), Ilse De Looze (Ghent University ), Tea Temim (Princeton University) Light Echo Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Jencson (Caltech/IPAC).

“Even if a star dies, its light remains—reverberate throughout the universe. It’s been an extraordinary three years since we launched NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Every image, every discovery, demonstrates not only the majesty of the universe, but also the power of the NASA team and the commitment of international partners. This groundbreaking mission is NASA’s largest international space science collaboration and is a true testament to NASA’s ingenuity, teamwork and commitment to excellence,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Being able to oversee this What a privilege it is to have such a huge effort shaped by tireless people. The dedication of thousands of scientists and engineers around the world. This latest photo perfectly captures Weber’s lasting legacy—a key to the past and a mission that will inspire future generations. “

While inherently beautiful, these observations also allow astronomers to map the 3-D structure of interstellar dust and gas for the first time.

“We were shocked to see this level of detail,” said Jacob Jencson of Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, the science project’s principal investigator.

Josh Peek of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, also a member of the team, said they saw onion-like layers.

Powerful Webb telescope observes spectacular clusters of star formation beyond the Milky Way

These shimmering cosmic curtains reveal interstellar gas and dust heated by the flashbulb explosions of long-ago supernovae. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Jencson (Caltech/IPAC))

“We think every dense, dusty area we see, and most of the areas we don’t see, the interior looks like this,” he said. “We’ve never been able to see inside them before.”

NASA said the images produced by JWST’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) highlight a phenomenon called light echoes, which are produced when stars explode or erupt, then shine light into the surrounding dust and causes them to glow.

Visible light echoes are caused when light reflects from interstellar material, while echoes at infrared wavelengths are caused when dust is heated by high-energy radiation and glows.

Scientists target light echo previously observed by NASA retiree Spitzer Space Telescopeone of dozens of supernovae discovered near the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.

Scientists say the Webb telescope discovered a giant black hole merger in the early universe

FILE – In this April 13, 2017 photo provided by NASA, technicians use a crane to lift the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Laura Bates/NASA, AP, File)

The Webb image shows tightly packed flakes with filaments showing structures at what NASA calls “very small scales,” about 400 astronomical units, or less than one hundredth of a light-year. 1 AU is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, and the diameter of Neptune’s orbit is 60 AU.

“We didn’t know that the interstellar medium had such a small-scale structure, let alone that it was sheet-like,” Peake said.

The scientists compared the findings to medical CT scans.

“We took three slices at three different times, which will allow us to study true 3D structures. It will revolutionize the way we study the interstellar medium,” said Armin Rest of the Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of the team ,explain.

The team’s findings will be presented this week at the 245th American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D.C.

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The successor to the Hubble Telescope and the largest telescope ever launched into space, the Webb Telescope is a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency.