00:02This image was recently captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
00:07It's a captivating scene featuring the Ring Nebula, but experts say, despite its pleasing visage,
00:12this image includes a star on the brink of death.
00:15The image was captured of a system only 2,600 light-years away, and the nebula is quite young.
00:20According to astronomers, the whole thing formed only around 4,000 years ago,
00:24when a star let go of its outer layer of dust and gas.
00:27That is a sign a star is entering its final moment, which on a cosmic scale is still thousands of
00:32years.
00:32But that very star can still be seen at the center of what is often called the donut,
00:36and it's still burning as hot as ever, with experts saying the star has temperatures of around 100,000 degrees
00:42Fahrenheit.
00:43This particular nebula is one of the closer ones known, and it can be seen in the sky using amateur
00:48equipment,
00:48which is why when using the most powerful telescope known to man, we can get such incredible high-definition images.
00:54With the Ring Nebula Imaging Project lead, Mike Barlow saying,
00:57We are witnessing the final chapters of a star's life, a preview of the sun's distant future.
01:03Have a great day!
01:08Have a great day!
01:08Have a great day!
01:08Let's get started!
Comments