Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A (NIRCam image)

This highly detailed image unveils intricate details of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, and shows the expanding shell of material slamming into the gas shed by the star before it exploded. The most noticeable colors are clumps of bright orange and light pink that make up the inner shell of the supernova remnant. These tiny knots of gas, comprised of sulfur, oxygen, argon, and neon from the star itself, are only detectable by NIRCam’s exquisite resolution, and give researchers a hint at how the dying star shattered like glass when it exploded. Being the youngest remnant of an exploded massive star in our galaxy, Cassiopeia A provides distinctive insights into the death of a star. Further examination by Webb will hopefully reveal more about the origins and production of cosmic dust, which forms the elements we’re all made of.