NASA Telescope Captures Never-Before-Seen Details Of Remnant Of Star That Exploded 340 Years Ago

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently captured "never-before-seen" detail of Cassiopeia A (Cas A), a remnant of a massive star that exploded some 340 years ago. Taking Instagram, the US space agency shared a stunning image of the exploding supernova. 

"As the youngest known remnant from an exploded, massive star in our galaxy, Cas A offers unique clues into a star's death. By studying Cas A, Webb astronomers may also learn more about the origins and production of cosmic dust - which forms the elements we're made of," the caption of the post read. 

Take a look below: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NASA Webb Telescope (@nasawebb)

According to NASA's press release, Cas A is the youngest remnant of a massive star in our galaxy known to mankind. It offers a peek into the supernovae phenomenon and its complexities.

"Cas A represents our best opportunity to look at the debris field of an exploded star and run a kind of stellar autopsy to understand what type of star was there beforehand and how that star exploded," said Danny Milisavljevic of Purdue University who led the investigation of the Webb program that was responsible for the mid-infrared image.

"Compared to previous infrared images, we see incredible detail that we haven't been able to access before," added Tea Temim of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, a co-investigator on the program.

Also Read | "Monster On The Loose": NASA's Hubble Spots Black Hole Weighing As Much As 20 Million Suns

As per the space agency, Cas A belongs to the prototypical type of supernova remnant and has been extensively studied by a number of ground-based and space-based observatories, including NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The remnant spans about 10 light-years and is located 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. 

The new image captured by Webb has now inspired scientists and researchers to dive deeper into the mysteries of star explosions. "By understanding the process of exploding stars, we're reading our own origin story," said Mr Milisavljevic. "I'm going to spend the rest of my career trying to understand what's in this data set," he added.