James Webb Telescope captures images of dust rings around two stars

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured unusual dust patterns around two stars. It is estimated that these patterns are able to track the passage of time, similar to the rings inside tree trunks.

The image was detailed by the European Space Agency and the US Space Agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA. It is a pattern of 17 rings of dust particles that have been found around stars known as Wolf-Rayet 140.

The unusual pattern found around the dust is made even more special by the fact that it surrounds stars known as Wolf-Rayet stars. This is because they are considered rare in our galaxy and only 600 have been discovered to date.

According to NASA, Wolf-Rayet 140 was the only one where this type of ring pattern was found. One of the reasons for this is thought to be the peculiar shape of the orbit, which is elongated rather than round like the vast majority of stars present in space.

These rings begin with a reaction that occurs when these two stars approach each other. The event is rare as it only happens once every eight years. This causes them to leave a kind of “fingerprint” around the stars, similar to those seen on trunks inside trees.

“Each ring was created when two stars approached each other and their stellar winds (streams of gas that blow through space) met, compressing the gas and creating dust. Tree trunk, circles of dust mark the passage of time,” the European Space Agency said.

Capture level of detail courtesy of James Webb

The capture of the rings by the James Webb Space Telescope was only possible thanks to the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which is part of the telescope. It is designed to detect the long wavelength components of infrared light. Therefore, he can shoot space objects that are considered cooler.

To understand how these images show a level of detail never seen before, scientists used ground-based telescopes that could see just two dust rings around Wolf-Rayet 140.

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Via: Engadget

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