NASA's James Webb Space Telescope found a 130-year-old ring formation that appears to be 5,000 light years distant from the planet.
One of the two stars in the WR 140 system, which is active and energetic enough to produce hydrogen and other elements, is likely to be responsible for the dust rings.
The American space agency compares the dust rings, which create concentric circles around the stars, to fingerprints.
This graphic shows the relative size of the Sun, upper left, compared to the two stars in the system known as Wolf-Rayet 140. The O-type star is roughly 30 times the mass of the Sun, while its companion is about 10 times the mass of the Sun.
NASA James Webb Telescope Finds Dust Rings on WR 140
According to NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope recently discovered "fingerprint" dust rings in the WR 140 system and has now provided a fresh picture that confirms this discovery. Although the 17 concentric dust rings that the pair of stars generated around them may only appear to be light flashes or streaks, they are in fact permanent.
The system consists of two stars: an O-type star, which is the hottest and largest star known to exist; and a Wolf-Rayet, which is renowned for its active and energizing traits.
Researchers submitted to Nature journal a report that communicates the knowledge and data they gathered from the investigation.
The two stars in Wolf-Rayet 140 produce shells of dust every eight years that look like rings, as seen in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Each ring was created when the stars came close together and their stellar winds collided, compressing the gas and forming dust.
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These two strong stars produce tremendous winds that are made up of particles and elements; and when their bursts collide, they turn those winds into dust particles that helped form the fingerprint rings. Since stars frequently expel winds and dust as a result of their activity, the dust rings in the WR 140 system are unusual.
Previous Sightings of WR140 Rings
A tiny area of the innermost dust shell of WR140 was repeatedly captured by the Keck Observatory, Space.com reported. The acceleration was seen in the difference between the succeeding sets of photos.
However, despite being one of the planet's most powerful telescopes, Keck can only make out the first two concentric waves. In comparison, the James Webb Space Telescope's photos show 17 shells extending out into the distance at precisely spaced intervals, demonstrating the telescope's superior viewing abilities.
The James Webb Space Telescope's study of these stars' dust also showed that it includes grains that are similar to the organic, carbon-rich particles that make up life on Earth. This is only the beginning for Webb. In the upcoming months and years, astronomers anticipate making further ground-breaking discoveries concerning WR140.
Stars are strange objects because they are collections of unadulterated energy and power, the most obvious example being the Sun, the largest star in the system. The most recent finding by Webb adds to our understanding of the galaxy's stars and provides additional details about the skills and activities that give rise to novel things like these dust rings.
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