In this new #JWST NIRCam image of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), we see the remains of a star that first imploded and then exploded about 340 years ago (from our point of view), leaving behind a tangle of gas, dust, and magnetic fields.
A #thread with some details of what we are seeing in the image.
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Read more: https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-149
Here is a video that walks through some of the important features of the JWST NIRCam view of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, from the tiny knots of gas leftover from the star’s explosion to the light echoes scattered across the field of view.
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https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/videos/2023/149/01HH3QHZ4F3JXEGDXWS2SS2MVR
Earlier this year, we saw another view of Cas A with JWST, a mid-inferred view of the supernova remnant from MIRI.
Comparing the images, we see the red and orange colored gas in the outer part of the main shell in the MIRI image appears wispy white in the NIRCam image. This is where the shock from the supernova explosion is hitting the surrounding gas.
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There’s a superficial resemblance in parts of the structure we see here to the large scale filaments of the universe. Am I imagining a connection?
@f800gecko Like jets, filaments and voids are structures that show up on all scales in astronomy.
The physics here is similar-ish to what is seen in the large-scale structure universe. Denser things tend to clump via gravity, and smaller features are being blown up by expansion.
But, some of the features in Cas A come from the details of the explosion and the structure surrounding the gas, which doesn't happen with the Universe.
Kelly Lepo
Kyle Memoir 🍉🐧