Webb captures a star's chaotic farewell

Today's Image of the Day from the James Webb Space Telescope features the planetary nebula NGC 6072, located about 3,200 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.  The nebula was formed from the outer layers of a dying star and shaped by complex interactions that likely involved a hidden companion star. When stars like our Sun reach the end of their lives, they don’t go quietly. They erupt - slowly, over thousands of years - shedding their outer layers into space and creating glowing...