Using two instruments onboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have captured new high-resolution images of the planetary nebula NGC 6072.
This Webb/NIRCam image shows NGC 6072, a planetary nebula approximately 4,048 light-years away in the constellation of Scorpius. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI.
NGC 6072 is located around 1,241 parsecs (4,048 light-years) away in the southern constellation of Scorpius.
Also known as ESO 389-15, Hen 2-148 or IRAS 16097-3606, the nebula has a dynamical age of 10,000 years.
It was first discovered by the British astronomer John Herschel on June 7, 1837.
“Since their discovery in the 1700s, astronomers have learned that planetary nebulae, or the expanding shell of glowing gas expelled by a low-intermediate mass star late in its life, can come in all shapes and sizes,” the Webb astronomers said.
“Most planetary nebulae present as circular, elliptical, or bi-polar, but some stray from the norm, as seen in new Webb images of NGC 6072.”
In the new image from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), it’s readily apparent that NGC 6072 is multi-polar.
“This means there are several different elliptical outflows jetting out either way from the center,” the astronomers said.
“These outflows compress gas towards the equatorial plane and create a disk.”
“This is evidence that there are likely at least two stars at the center of this scene.”
“Specifically, a companion star is interacting with an aging star that had already begun to shed some of its outer layers of gas and dust.”
“The central region of the planetary nebula glows from the hot stellar core, seen as a light blue hue in near-infrared light.”
“The dark orange material, which is made up of gas and dust, follows pockets or open areas that appear dark blue.”
“This clumpiness could be created when dense molecules formed while being shielded from hot radiation from the central star.”
“There could also be a time element at play. Over thousands of years, inner fast winds could be ploughing through the halo cast off from the main star when it first started to lose mass.”
This Webb/MIRI image shows the planetary nebula NGC 6072. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI.
The longer wavelengths captured by Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) are highlighting dust, revealing the star astronomers suspect could be central to this scene.
“It appears as a small pink-white dot in this image,” the researchers said.
“Webb’s look in the mid-infrared wavelength also reveals concentric rings expanding from the central region, the most obvious circling just past the edges of the lobes.”
“This may be additional evidence of a secondary star at the center of the scene hidden from our view.”
“The secondary star, as it circles repeatedly around the original star, could have carved out rings of material in a spiral pattern as the main star was expelling mass during an earlier stage of its life.”
“The red areas in NIRCam and blue areas in MIRI both trace cool molecular gas (likely molecular hydrogen) while central regions trace hot ionized gas.”