It's the circle of life…Webb's look at the Lion Nebula, the remains of a dying lower-mass star, is in both the mid and near-infrared.
Though massive stars undergo supernova explosions at the end of their lives, lower-mass stars shed their outer layers.
pic.twitter.com/9dmHxUlHio— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) August 10, 2026The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has revealed more details about the striking shape of the Lion Nebula and the dying star at its centre.
Observing across the starry ‘plains’ of space, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula.
Astronomers estimate the lion will eventually disperse in approximately 10,000 years, a relatively short period in astronomical terms.
It's the circle of life…
Webb's look at the Lion Nebula, the remains of a dying lower-mass star, is in both the mid and near-infrared. Though massive stars undergo supernova explosions at the end of their lives, lower-mass stars shed their outer layers. pic.twitter.com/9dmHxUlHio
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) August 10, 2026
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has revealed more details about the striking shape of the Lion Nebula and the dying star at its centre. Observing across the starry ‘plains’ of space, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. NASA ’s Hubble Space Telescope previously viewed this planetary nebula in 2000, imaging the lion face-shaped target in visible light and revealing features such as a hazy ‘mane’, made of comet-shaped objects.Using its NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), Webb has revealed a clearer and more detailed image of the Lion Nebula due to its high-resolution imaging.While its overall structure resembles Hubble’s earlier visible-light view, Webb’s infrared view clearly displays compact clumps of dust and a haze of ionized gas.It has taken thousands of years for the gas and dust to shape the nebula into its current form, and changes are still ongoing in various parts of it.At the centre of the Lion Nebula lie the remnants of a dying star. Though it looks like the button nose of the lion, its energy and radiation are powering the intricate structures seen here.Massive stars undergo supernova explosions at the end of their lives, but these kinds of events are few and far in between. Lower-mass stars conclude their lives differently, like the one belonging to NGC 2392.When such a star can no longer sustain nuclear reactions in its core, it becomes unstable and begins to pulsate. It then sheds its outer layers, which transform into shells of gas and dust, forming what is known as a planetary nebula.The star’s radiation drives the ejected material away, leaving behind the very hot stellar core, also known as a white dwarf.In the Lion Nebula’s case, the death of the oxygen-rich central star has left behind a white dwarf that is ‘cooking’ everything from within and producing a bubble of ionized gas as it does. The gas bubble, which forms the lion’s face, is expanding over time and destroying dust that is in its path.A complex structure of rings and shells formed by swept-up gas are commonly observed in planetary nebulae, however, understanding their intricate structures remains an ongoing area of study.NGC 2392 will continue to undergo changes as its gas and dust migrate away from the stellar core. Astronomers estimate the lion will eventually disperse in approximately 10,000 years, a relatively short period in astronomical terms.
