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Exposed Cranium Nebula (NIRCam and MIRI Images)

Side-by-side images of the same nebula show how differently it appears in near-infrared, on the left, versus mid-infrared light, on the right. Left image is labeled NIRCam and the right is labeled MIRI. In near-infrared, the nebula’s outer bubble has a white edge and its inner clouds are orange, with a distinct dark lane cutting vertically through the center. Stars and background galaxies appear around the nebula and through the outer bubble. In mid-infrared, the outer bubble has a bluish tint and there is more material in the inner clouds, which are colored off-white. The vertical dark lane is still present but more interrupted and covered by the clouds. Material appears to be erupting out the top of the nebula, and this effect is mirrored to a lesser degree at the bottom, opposite end.

The differences in what Webb’s infrared instruments reveal and conceal within the PMR 1 “Exposed Cranium” nebula is apparent in this side-by-side view. More stars and background galaxies shine through the view of Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), while cosmic dust glows more prominently in the light captured by MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). 

The dark center lane that contributes to this nebula’s distinctive brain-like appearance is more noticeable in NIRCam, but its apparent role in the ejection of material at the top and bottom of the nebula is seen more clearly in MIRI’s view. Observing the cosmos in various wavelengths of light provides a more complete picture of how the universe works.

See links at right to download the individual images or the side-by-side version.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    09:28:40.9
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -49:36:26.6
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Vela
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    5,000 light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 2.2 arcmin across (about 3.2 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 9224 (M. Garcia Marin).

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    NIRCam, MIRI
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    March 30-31, 2025
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    NIRCam: F150W, F187N, F444W, F470N; MIRI: F1000W, F1130W, F1280W, F1800W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    PMR 1, PN G272.8+01.0, Exposed Cranium Nebula
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Planetary Nebula
  • Release Date
    February 25, 2026
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Examines Cranium Nebula
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Display), 8832 × 4535
    png (58.81 MB)
  • Full Res (For Print), 8832 × 4535
    tif (51.87 MB)
  • Full Res (JPG), 8832 × 4535
    jpg (11.21 MB)
  • 2000 × 1027
    jpg (632.41 KB)
  • NIRCam Only - Full Res (For Display), 4330 × 4537
    png (35.69 MB)
  • NIRCam Only - Full Res (For Print), 4330 × 4537
    tif (32.61 MB)
  • NIRCam Only - Full Res (JPG), 4330 × 4537
    jpg (7.01 MB)
  • NIRCam Only, 1909 × 2000
    jpg (1 MB)
  • MIRI Only - Full Res (For Display), 4545 × 4713
    png (20.6 MB)
  • MIRI Only - Full Res (For Print), 4545 × 4713
    tif (17.75 MB)
  • MIRI Only - Full Res (JPG), 4545 × 4713
    jpg (4.08 MB)
  • MIRI Only, 1929 × 2000
    jpg (1.07 MB)
Side-by-side images of the same nebula show how differently it appears in near-infrared, on the left, versus mid-infrared light, on the right. Left image is labeled NIRCam and the right is labeled MIRI. In near-infrared, the nebula’s outer bubble has a white edge and its inner clouds are orange, with a distinct dark lane cutting vertically through the center. Stars and background galaxies appear around the nebula and through the outer bubble. In mid-infrared, the outer bubble has a bluish tint and there is more material in the inner clouds, which are colored off-white. The vertical dark lane is still present but more interrupted and covered by the clouds. Material appears to be erupting out the top of the nebula, and this effect is mirrored to a lesser degree at the bottom, opposite end.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. Several filters were used to sample specific wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors for both the NIRCam and MIRI images are: Blue: F150W and F1000W, Green: F187N and F1130W, Orange: F444W and F1280W, Red: F470N+F1800W

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Two side-by-side images from the James Webb Space Telescope, with the left labeled NIRCam and the right labeled MIRI. Overall image title at top left reads James Webb Space Telescope, Exposed Cranium Nebula, PMR 1. At bottom right are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 2 ou2019clock direction. The east arrow points toward 10 ou2019clock.nThe scale bar reads 0.5 light-years/20 arcsec and spans about one-seventh of each image. Below each image is a color key showing which filters were used to create the image and which visible-light color is assigned to each filter. NIRCam filters are F150W in blue, F187N in green, F444W in orange and F470N in red. MIRI filters are F1000W in blue, F1130W in green, F1280W in orange, and F1800W in red.

Exposed Cranium Nebula (NIRCam and MIRI Compass Image)

These images of the “Exposed Cranium” nebula PMR 1, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) include compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.

Side-by-side images of the same nebula show how differently it appears in near-infrared, on the left, versus mid-infrared light, on the right. Left image is labeled NIRCam and the right is labeled MIRI.nnIn near-infrared, the nebulau2019s outer bubble has a white edge and its inner clouds are orange, with a distinct dark lane cutting vertically through the center. Stars and background galaxies appear around the nebula and through the outer bubble.nnIn mid-infrared, the outer bubble has a bluish tint and there is more material in the inner clouds, which are colored off-white. The vertical dark lane is still present but more interrupted and covered by the clouds. Material appears to be erupting out the top of the nebula, and this effect is mirrored to a lesser degree at the bottom, opposite end.

Observations of the Exposed Cranium Nebula

This video compares infrared views of the PMR 1 “Exposed Cranium” nebula taken by NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as NASA’s James Webb Space Telecope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). Spitzer’s ...

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Details

Last Updated
Feb 25, 2026
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

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