NASA spots an exploding star

An image of a supernova AKA an exploding star has been captured by NASA by the new super telescope James Webb.

The star allegedly exploded in 1987, but until now we weren't able to see it in all its glorious detail. Astronomers are fascinated by this as it shows what happens when stars that are large enough meet their unfortunate end.

Even though this is the closest observed supernova to Earth, you don't have to worry about debris flying your way. The star, which has the catchy name of SN1987A, is situated 170,000 light-years away from our home.

It appears that a supernova isn't a super sudden event. As scientists observed that the part of the image that looks like a pearl necklace is likely material ejected about 20,000 years before the big boom happened.

"We're able to see new hotspots emerging outside the ring that has previously been illuminated," explained Dr Roger Wesson from Cardiff University, UK. "In addition, we see emission from molecular hydrogen in the ring that was not necessarily expected and something only JWST could have revealed with its superior sensitivity and resolution."

Once again, space manages to be both beautiful and terrifying at once.

Thanks, BBC.