Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2023 March 18 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Wolf-Rayet 124 Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]CSA, [6]STScI, [7]Webb ERO Production Team Explanation: Driven by powerful stellar winds, expanding shrouds of gas and dust [8]frame hot, luminous star Wolf-Rayet 124 in [9]this sharp infrared view. The eye-catching [10]6-spike star pattern is characteristic of stellar images made with the 18 hexagonal mirrors of the [11]James Webb Space Telescope. About 15,000 light-years distant toward the pointed northern constellation Sagitta, [12]WR 124 has over 30 times the mass of the Sun. Produced in a brief and rarely spotted phase of [13]massive star evolution in the Milky Way, this star's turbulent nebula is nearly 6 light-years across. It heralds [14]WR 124's impending stellar death in a supernova explosion. Formed in the expanding nebula, dusty interstellar debris that survives the supernova [15]will influence the formation of future generations of stars. Tomorrow's picture: Mayan Milky Way __________________________________________________________________ [16]< | [17]Archive | [18]Submissions | [19]Index | [20]Search | [21]Calendar | [22]RSS | [23]Education | [24]About APOD | [25]Discuss | [26]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [27]Robert Nemiroff ([28]MTU) & [29]Jerry Bonnell ([30]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [31]Specific rights apply. [32]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC, [36]NASA Science Activation & [37]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2303/WR124_Webb.png 3. https://www.nasa.gov/ 4. https://www.esa.int/ 5. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/ 6. https://www.stsci.edu/ 7. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022ApJ...936L..14P/abstract 8. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022MNRAS.513.3317Z/abstract 9. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2023/111/01GTY9YMA18RV3VMPKS7GQ5P05 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220319.html 11. https://webbtelescope.org/home 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200308.html 13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_evolution#Massive_stars 14. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-111 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120621.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230317.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 20. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 25. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230318 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230319.html 27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 28. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 29. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 30. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 32. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 34. https://www.nasa.gov/ 35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 37. http://www.mtu.edu/