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Explanation: Driven by powerful stellar winds, expanding shrouds of gas and dust frame hot, luminous star Wolf-Rayet 124 in this sharp infrared view. The eye-catching 6-spike star pattern is characteristic of stellar images made with the 18 hexagonal mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope. About 15,000 light-years distant toward the pointed northern constellation Sagitta, WR 124 has over 30 times the mass of the Sun. Produced in a brief and rarely spotted phase of massive star evolution in the Milky Way, this star's turbulent nebula is nearly 6 light-years across. It heralds WR 124's impending stellar death in a supernova explosion. Formed in the expanding nebula, dusty interstellar debris that survives the supernova will influence the formation of future generations of stars.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Wolf-Rayet star
Publications with words: Wolf-Rayet star
See also:
- APOD: 2025 March 17 B Thors Helmet
- APOD: 2025 February 3 B Wolf Rayet Star 124: Stellar Wind Machine
- APOD: 2025 January 29 B Dust Shells around WR 140 from Webb
- Sharpless 308: The Dolphin Head Nebula
- APOD: 2024 January 9 B Thors Helmet
- APOD: 2023 March 29 B Sh2-308: A Dolphin Shaped Star Bubble
- APOD: 2023 February 8 B Stellar Wind Shaped Nebula RCW 58