James Webb Space Telescope odkrywa złożoność mgławicy planetarnej NGC 6072

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently captured detailed images of the planetary nebula NGC 6072, revealing its intricate structure and providing new insights into stellar evolution. Located in the constellation Scorpius, NGC 6072 is approximately 3,000 light-years from Earth. The nebula exhibits a complex, multi-polar shape, characterized by multiple elliptical outflows expanding at various angles from a central, aging star. These outflows compress gas toward the equatorial plane, forming a disk-like structure. Such observations suggest that interactions between at least two stars are influencing the nebula's formation. The central region of the nebula glows with hot ionized gas, while surrounding areas display cool molecular gas, indicating the presence of dense molecular clouds shielded from the central star's radiation. Additionally, concentric rings expanding from the central region have been observed, possibly resulting from material being carved out into a spiral pattern by a secondary star orbiting the main star. As the central star cools and fades, the nebula will gradually dissipate into the interstellar medium, contributing enriched material that helps form new stars and planetary systems. JWST's imaging of NGC 6072 opens the door to studying how planetary nebulae with complex shapes contribute to this process.