Southern Ring Nebula Archives

January 14, 2025January 14, 2025 by Mark Thompson

Astronomers Reveal the 3D Structure of the Ring Nebula

The Ring Nebula as captured in visible light by Hubble Space Telescope, left; in radio emission from CO molecules by the Submillimeter Array (SMA), center; and in the infrared by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), right. The image is overlaid with contours of emission from CO that is moving perpendicular to our sight line, showing how the molecular gas imaged by the SMA envelopes the ionized gas imaged by JWST.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen the Ring Nebula. It’s a favourite amongst stargazers around the globe and is surely one of the most well known objects in the night sky. The remains of a Sun-like star, its outer layers have drifted out into space leaving behind a the stellar corpse, a white dwarf. It looks like a giant smoke ring in the sky but what is its true shape? A team of astronomers have mapped carbon monoxide that surrounds the nebula and built a 3D model to reveal its shape.

April 23, 2024May 1, 2024 by Evan Gough

See the Southern Ring Nebula in 3D

The Southern Ring Nebula, or NGC 3132, was one of the first objects observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Astronomers are digging more deeply into the nebula with additional observatories to expand their understanding of the structure. Image Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

Planetary nebula are some of nature’s most stunning visual displays. The name is confusing since they’re the remains of stars, not planets. But that doesn’t detract from their status as objects of captivating beauty and intense scientific study.