Dying Star's Final Breath Turns Into A Spectacular Light Show Captured By Webb

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the most intricate view yet of the Helix Nebula, offering a sharp, infrared glimpse into the final moments of a dying sun.

Affectionately nicknamed either the "Eye of Sauron" or "Eye of God," the Helix Nebula, located 650 light-years away, has been an astronomer favorite for ages. However, the new images released this week by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) provide the most detailed look ever of one of our closest nebula neighbors. Thanks to the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), Webb has pierced through the dust to show the intricate comet-like knots that line the inner edge of the nebula's gas shell. These knots, which look like golden tadpoles or liquid droplets, are dense clouds of molecular gas being sculpted by blistering winds and intense radiation from the central white dwarf.