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James Webb Reveals Stunning Dust Spirals in Apep System

11/22/2025

Summary

Story summary

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) captured a mid-infrared image of the Apep system, revealing four concentric dust spirals ejected by Wolf-Rayet stars.
Apep is a rare triple-star system with two Wolf-Rayet stars and a massive supergiant about 8,000 light-years away.
The supergiant’s gravity creates a cavity in the dust shells.
Researchers plan future observations to determine the system’s distance.

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Story summary

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) captured a mid-infrared image of the Apep system, revealing four concentric dust spirals ejected by Wolf-Rayet stars.
Apep is a rare triple-star system with two Wolf-Rayet stars and a massive supergiant about 8,000 light-years away.
The supergiant’s gravity creates a cavity in the dust shells.
Researchers plan future observations to determine the system’s distance.