APOD: 2026 March 9 Б The Cranium Nebula from the Webb Telescope
Explanation:
What's going on inside the head of this nebula?
Dubbed the Exposed
Cranium Nebula for its similarity to the human brain,
what created the nebula remains a mystery.
One thought is that the Cranium Nebula, also known as PMR 1, is a
planetary nebula surrounding a
white dwarf star.
In this mode, the outer atmosphere was expelled when the original
Sun-like star ran out of
central nuclear fuel and contracted.
A competing thought is that the central star is much more massive,
possibly a
Wolf-Rayet star,
that is ejecting gas and
dust
via turbulent
stellar winds.
Adding to the
intrigue is the dark vertical central division
and the thin outer gaseous shell.
The featured image was taken by the
Webb Space Telescope in
mid-
infrared light, while a second image, included as a rollover,
is in near-infrared.
Future observations may reveal if this brainy system
will quietly just fade from view or, many years from now,
suddenly erupt in a powerful
supernova.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
