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James Webb Telescope Reveals Stunning Details of Exposed Cranium Nebula

3/10/2026

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Summary

Story summary

The Exposed Cranium Nebula, a planetary nebula 5,000 light-years away in Vela (PMR 1), has been imaged in unprecedented detail by the James Webb Space Telescope.
JWST captured near-infrared and mid-infrared images, revealing distinct features of the expanding shell of gas ejected from a dying star.
The central star may be a red supergiant or Wolf-Rayet star, with a fate that could be a supernova or white dwarf.

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Story summary

The Exposed Cranium Nebula, a planetary nebula 5,000 light-years away in Vela (PMR 1), has been imaged in unprecedented detail by the James Webb Space Telescope.
JWST captured near-infrared and mid-infrared images, revealing distinct features of the expanding shell of gas ejected from a dying star.
The central star may be a red supergiant or Wolf-Rayet star, with a fate that could be a supernova or white dwarf.