Object Analysis

The Southern Ring Nebula (NGC 3132) is a bright and extensively studied planetary nebula in the constellation Vela. It is approximately 2,000 light-years away from Earth. Its shape is that of two interlocking rings, and it was one of the first targets of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The JWST images revealed that the system is not just binary, but likely a system of four or five stars. The central white dwarf is shrouded in dust, while a brighter companion star orbits it. The interaction between these stars as the white dwarf died created the complex, craggy shells of gas.

The nebula shows evidence of "rays" of light filtering through holes in the inner dust clouds, like sunlight through clouds on Earth. It is expanding at a rate of 15 kilometers per second and will eventually disperse into the interstellar medium in a few thousand years.