James Webb telescope captures end stages of dying star's life

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66397231

411 points · 16 comments · view on lemmy.world

16 Comments

nutsack@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 3y (10 replies)

why the FUCK is everything a doughnut

metaStatic@kbin.social · 23 pts · 3y (1 reply)

because the average person doesn't know what a torus is anymore

GladiusB@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y

I don't know what a torus is. But it sure looks flat to me.

Neato@kbin.social · 7 pts · 3y (2 replies)

It's not. It's 2 spheres. But when you look at a diaphanous sphere straight on you can see a brighter thing through it. You can see the pink parts only at the edges because there isn't a brighter mass behind it. And the edges cause more of the material to bunch up making it easier to see.

nutsack@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y (1 reply)

what did you just call me

Jaded@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 3y

I burst out laughing

intelati@programming.dev · 3 pts · 3y

Turns out a toroid is a common shape

kool_newt@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 3y
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mihor@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 3y
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alphacyberranger@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y
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FunkyMonk@kbin.social · 1 pts · 3y

because simpsons did it.

autotldr@lemmings.world · 12 pts · 3y

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Mesmerising images of the end stages of a distant star's life have been captured by the James Webb space telescope (JWST).

They show an unprecedented level of detail of a doughnut-like structure of glowing gas known as the Ring Nebula.

Some 2,600 light-years from Earth, the nebula was born from a dying star that expelled its outer layers into space.

"We are witnessing the final chapters of a star's life, a preview of the sun's distant future so to speak, and JWST's observations have opened a new window into understanding these awe-inspiring cosmic events.

The so-called "planetary nebulae" is a misnomer that dates back to the 18th century, when the astronomer William Herschel mistook their curved shapes for those of planets.

It formed when a dying star blasted much of its substance into space, producing a variety of patterns and glowing rings and wispy clouds that seem to ripple outwards.


The original article contains 280 words, the summary contains 150 words. Saved 46%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

KuchiKopi@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3y

RIP

Eheran@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 3y (2 replies)

Is the pictures rotated in such a away to make it look like as viewed from a specific location on earth? Or why is not just the straight picture?

AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 3y (1 reply)

They probably rotated it to align with the ICRS.

Eheran@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3y

Ah thank you! One of those things that are essentials impossible to Google without prior knowledge.

MonkderZweite@feddit.ch · 1 pts · 3y (2 replies)

Wait, what? How probable is a binary star system consisting of White Dwarfes?

Pons_Aelius@kbin.social · 0 pts · 3y (1 reply)

Very probable.

Binary systems are very common.

Stars of the size that end their lifecycle as white dwarfs are also very common.

MonkderZweite@feddit.ch · 1 pts · 3y

But considering how White Dwarfs are born, both being there without one being blown away/sucked up? Didn't know binary White Dwarfs are even possible.