The Red Spider Nebula, approximately 3,000 light-years away, is revealed in stunning detail by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), showcasing a dying star's intricate expulsion of gas. Its iconic shape is sculpted by the star's powerful winds, which create shockwaves and are visible in images as "waves" of glowing gas and the elaborate "legs" or lobes, which can extend up to three light-years. A distinctive, two-lobed hourglass shape, also called bipolar, is carved by the stellar winds of a hidden binary star system. Webb's infrared sensitivity reveals glowing red gas, likely from the central star, surrounded by blue "legs" composed of molecular hydrogen molecules. The nebula's shape is a result of fast-moving stellar winds colliding with older, slower-moving gas and dust, creating shockwaves and high-energy emissions. The central star is one of the hottest known, and its powerful winds are responsible for the nebula's complex structure, including waves and jets. Image credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, G. Mellema (Leiden University, the Netherlands), J. H. Kastner (Rochester Institute of Technology)
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