NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed stunning new near- and mid-infrared views of the planetary nebula NGC 6072, showcasing a complex multi-polar structure that astronomers say was likely the result of ancient interactions between a pair of stars.
The latest cosmic view offered by NASA’s premier space observatory, which superficially resembles a cosmic “starfish” in shape, showcases what the space agency recently characterized as a “messy scene,” although the asymmetry it reveals is suggestive of highly complex underlying astrophysical processes.
Primarily, the nebula’s irregular appearance is believed to arise from multiple jets of material and concentric rings, which are likely part of the orbit of a secondary star or pulsations emanating from the outer layers of a dying star. Webb’s powerful infrared instrument also reveals clumps of cool molecular gas, as well as hot ionized gas, which provide astronomers with new insights into stellar evolution and the ways nebulae enrich the interstellar medium.
“Webb’s imaging of NGC 6072 opens the door to studying how the planetary nebulae with more complex shapes contribute to this process,” the space agency said in a statement issued by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Planetary Nebulae in Focus
Since their discovery by eighteenth-century astronomers, planetary nebulae have long fascinated scientists studying the cosmos. These unique cosmic features represent the expanding shell of glowing gas expelled by low- to intermediate-mass stars during their later life cycles, and they come in a variety of shapes.
Generally circular or elliptical in appearance, some of these celestial objects can have a surprising degree of variety in their size and shape, the likes of which have been revealed in the latest high-res imagery Webb obtained of NGC 6072.
Near- and Mid-Infrared Revelations
The latest Webb images showcase the final stages of NGC 6072’s life, where it has likely lost most of its mass already. Designated by astronomers as a multi-polar nebula, several elliptical outflows can be observed jetting out either way from the nebula’s center in the imagery, which gives rise to the large, disc-like equatorial structure that is seen emanating outward from it.
Based on such features, astronomers believe there are probably two stars at the center of this nebula, where, in likelihood, a much older star is joined by a stellar companion. Interactions between the two have caused the aging stellar body to shed gas and dust into the surrounding cosmos.
In recent NASA imagery, the central region of the planetary nebula is visible as glowing, light-blue regions, revealed in the infrared. Meanwhile, darker blue areas are mostly open, and follow regions of gas and dust that appear dark orange in coloration.
A Clumpy Molecular Cloud
One of the distinctive features of this new imagery of NGC 6072 is its “clumpy” appearance, which is caused by dense molecular cloud formation present within the nebula.
Meanwhile, the Webb imagery also reveals concentric rings that can be seen expanding outward from the central region of the star, which could lend further evidence for the presence of a secondary companion star circling the original aging stellar body. If this is the case, the smaller of the two may have hewn these rings in the surrounding material, producing a bullseye-like appearance where rings were carved in the mass being expelled by the primary star.
Molecular Hydrogen Observations by NIRCam
Additionally, the appearance of reddish and blue areas in the new Webb images appears to reveal regions where cool gases—believed to probably be molecular hydrogen—have accumulated in the outer regions. The red portions of the images were detected by Webb’s NIRCam instrument, while the blue areas were revealed using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
Astronomers say that as a star lurking at the center of a planetary nebula like NGC 6072 begins to cool and gradually dim over time, the nebula will eventually melt away into the surrounding interstellar medium, a process through which the material it gives off will enrich the cosmic environment, and eventually give rise to the formation of new stars, as well as planetary systems which will possess these newly-acquired heavier elements.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.