A breathtaking new image from the James Webb Space Telescope is offering an extraordinary glimpse into the final moments of a dying star at the heart of the iconic Helix Nebula — capturing both an ending and the promise of new beginnings.
The Helix Nebula, long admired for its resemblance to the “Eye of Sauron” from The Lord of the Rings, has been photographed many times before by space observatories such as Hubble and Spitzer. But Webb’s latest view lifts the veil like never before, revealing the nebula in striking detail and radiant color.
Far from being a symbol of menace, the Helix Nebula marks a natural and beautiful stage in stellar evolution. At its centre lies a white dwarf — the exposed core of a once Sun-like star nearing the end of its life. Surrounding it are vast, layered shells of gas and dust, arranged in a circular pattern that resembles an iris. The hottest material glows in shades of blue, while cooler regions appear red.
Using its powerful NIRCam instrument, Webb has captured intricate streaks of ionised gas colliding with a cooler ring of material, where hydrogen atoms are bonding to form molecules that shine in deep orange. At first glance, the scene resembles fireworks or comet-like jets blasting upward from a glowing surface.
But when combined with complementary images from the ground-based Visible and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA), scientists realised the motion is unfolding in the opposite direction. These comet-like structures are actually flowing outward toward the orange ring, cooling as they go, before dispersing into space as a soft red haze.
That haze, scientists say, is anything but an ending. Over millions of years, it will help seed the formation of new stars and planets.
“Together, the colors show the star’s final breath transforming into the raw ingredients for new worlds,” NASA said, noting that the image adds to the growing body of knowledge provided by Webb about how planets and planetary systems are born.
Located about 650 light-years from Earth, the Helix Nebula has been visible to astronomers for more than two centuries. With the James Webb Space Telescope now peering deeper than ever before, this familiar cosmic landmark is once again reminding humanity that even in the universe’s quiet goodbyes, there is extraordinary beauty and the promise of renewal.