Red Spider Nebula Holds a Secret in Its Glowing Heart, JWST Reveals
New images from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed NGC 6537, the Red Spider Nebula in unprecedented detail, complete with sprawling legs, a glowing heart, and possibly a hidden companion lurking at its core.
NGC 6537, a planetary nebula, forms during a star's dying act, when stars like our Sun exhaust their fuel and swell into red giants.
The process involves the outward-pushing thermonuclear force overcoming the force of gravity, causing the star to shed its outer layers and expose its core.
Ultraviolet radiation from this exposed stellar heart makes the ejected material glow, creating the luminous structures we observe.
This beautiful finale is brief, typically only lasting a few tens of thousands of years before fading away.
Author's summary: JWST reveals the Red Spider Nebula's secrets.