Webb image archive
Cassiopeia A Light Echoes (NIRCam Images)
Caption These shimmering cosmic curtains show interstellar gas and dust that has been heated by the flashbulb explosion of a long-ago supernova. The gas then glows infrared light i...
- Date
- Jan 14, 2025
- Observatory
- James Webb Space Telescope
- Credit
- NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI
- Archive ID
- 01JFG64Z48P5AY89ZYZR1RX2CA
Caption
These shimmering cosmic curtains show interstellar gas and dust that has been heated by the flashbulb explosion of a long-ago supernova. The gas then glows infrared light in what is known as a thermal light echo. As the supernova illumination travels through space at the speed of light, the echo appears to expand. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed this light echo in the vicinity of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A three separate times, in essence creating a 3D scan of the interstellar material. Note that the field of view in the top row is rotated slightly clockwise relative to the middle and bottom rows, due to the roll angle of the Webb telescope when the observations were taken.
Credits
Image
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Jacob Jencson (Caltech/IPAC)
Keywords
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- Full Res (For Display), 10076 X 13752, PNG (151.86 MB)
- Full Res (For Print), 10076 X 13752, TIF (169.38 MB)
- 1465 X 2000, JPG (925.90 KB)
- Top Panel (For Display), 10076 X 4584, PNG (49.93 MB)
- Top Panel (For Print), 10076 X 4584, TIF (55.06 MB)
- Top Panel, 2000 X 910, JPG (552.65 KB)
- Middle Panel (For Display), 10077 X 4585, PNG (50.97 MB)
- Middle Panel (For Print), 10077 X 4585, TIF (56.37 MB)
- Middle Panel, 2000 X 910, JPG (548.01 KB)
- Bottom Panel (For Display), 10077 X 4585, PNG (51.03 MB)
- Bottom Panel (For Print), 10077 X 4585, TIF (57.88 MB)
- Bottom Panel, 2000 X 910, JPG (530.04 KB)