Webb also has a much bigger mirror than Hubble. Webb will primarily look at the Universe in the infrared, while Hubble studies it primarily at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths (though it has some infrared capability). This is the other reason that Webb is not a replacement for Hubble its capabilities are not identical. Here's how NASA explains their differences: NASA has also made it clear that Webb is not a replacement for Hubble, but instead its successor. NASA anticipates that Hubble will last for many more years and will continue making groundbreaking observations, working in tandem with other space observatories including the James Webb Space Telescope to further our knowledge of the cosmos. What does this mean for the Hubble Telescope? Does it still have use or is it now feeling a bit left out?Дon't worry, it's not the end for the humble Hubble! In this case there could have been 4 stars in the system originally.ДЇor me the most amazing thing is that the shape of this nebula which we knew already because of the Hubble Space Telescope, keeps increasing in complexity with better images, and hints to an even more complex past than we suspected!! In that case the main star in the nebula makes the nebula (likely in collaboration with its closer companion or companions), and then moves out of the centre as it orbits a distant companion. This is hard to explain unless the pair is in orbit with yet another, far more distant star. This star may have merged with the primary star (the dim star) a while ago.ДЄlso, you will notice that the pair of stars are not in the middle of the nebula.

In fact the shape of the bubble and of the material outside is complex enough that it is very likely that there was at least another close star in the system. Over time the shock front cools, the gas contracts (making it look sharper). You can see the shockwaves at the edge of this peanut shaped bubble (the red circle), which is the interface between the slow massive mass-loss during the giant phase of the star, and the thin fast wind. This second wind ploughs into the massive, gently moving wind and makes the bubble.ДЄnd what about the shockwaves? Here's the shockwave boundary. Then the core of the giant (which is sun size or smaller) goes on to making a fast but more tenuous wind. The bubble was formed by fast wind coming from the central star (the dimmer of the two stars) that ploughs into gas that was ejected by the same star when, in a previous phase, was a red giant star, which puffed up at the end of its life and lost most of its mass into a gentle wind.

The central part of the southern ring nebula looks like a non spherical soap bubble.ДЄt the heart of the bubble are two stars. Orsola De Marco from Macquarie University gets into the detail for us: Pictures from the Webb showed us this dim star at the centreВ of the Southern Ring Nebula was actually cloaked in dust, as it spews out rings of gas.ДЄnd understanding the molecules present in stellar graveyards can help scientists learn more about the process of stellar death. This is the end (for these stars): The Southern Ring Nebula is seen cloaked in dust and spews out gas in its death throes.

Cosmic osmos