Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Fade Between 2022 and 2023 Observations of Wolf-Rayet 140

This video alternates between two James Webb Space Telescope observations of Wolf-Rayet 140, a two-star system that has sent out more than 17 shells of dust over 130 years. Mid-infrared light observations highlight them with excellent clarity.

By comparing this pair of observations, taken only 14 months apart, researchers showed the dust in the system has expanded. All the dust in every shell is moving at almost 1% the speed of light.

The stars are very bright, which led to the diffraction spikes in both images. These are artifacts, not meaningful features.

  • Release Date
    January 13, 2025
  • Science Release
    Webb Watches Carbon-Rich Dust Shells Form, Expand in Star System
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Video: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Joseph DePasquale (STScI); Science: Emma Lieb (University of Denver), Ryan Lau (NSF's NOIRLab), Jennifer Hoffman (University of Denver)

Downloads

  • Video: 1920 × 1080, 30 FPS
    mp4 (585.97 KB)
  • Video: 1280 × 720, 30 FPS
    mp4 (324.26 KB)
  • Audio Description
    mp4 (796.7 KB)
  • Audio Description
    mp3 (15.92 KB)
  • Audio Description
    doc (19.6 KB)
  • Audio Description: Text Description
    docx (12.46 KB)
  • Captions: No Audio
    srt (75 B)
  • Captions: No Audio
    vtt (123 B)
  • Image: Poster Image, 1280 × 720
    png (498.08 KB)

Related Images & Videos

A three-part graphic showing observations of Wolf-Rayet 140, two massive stars with 17 dust shells around them. An inset appears at right, showing a portion of the two observations matched up to show that the arced dust has moved.

Compare Observations of Wolf-Rayet 140 (MIRI Images)

Watch dust move in space! Compare the two mid-infrared images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope of Wolf-Rayet 140, a system of dust shells ejected by two massive stars that are in an elongated orbit. Look to the top right of the first two images. Two triangles are matched...

A graphic labeled “James Webb Space Telescope; Wolf-Rayet 140.” A bright white point of light is surrounded by seventeen regularly spaced, hazy dust shells at its bottom, right, and upper right that are set against the black background of space.

Wolf-Rayet 140 (MIRI Compass Image)

This 2023 image of Wolf-Rayet 140, a system of dust shells ejected by two massive stars at the center, was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). The image shows a scale bar, compass arrows, and color key for reference. The scale bar is...

Two overlapping ellipticals represent orbits of two stars. The wider elliptical represented by a white line takes up about a quarter of the view. At its right is a smaller blue dot that represents one star. To its right is a thin white elliptical that is about a quarter of the size. It overlaps the larger one, crossing in two places on the right. At the left of this smaller elliptical orbit is a much larger star represented in orange and blue at the edges and white at the center. A haze appears to be coming off of it. The background of space is black.

Stars’ Orbits in Wolf-Rayet 140 (Visualization)

When the two massive stars in Wolf-Rayet 140 swing past one another, their winds collide, material compresses, and carbon-rich dust forms. The stronger winds of the hotter Wolf-Rayet star blow behind its slightly cooler (but still hot) companion. The stars create dust for...

Share

Details

Last Updated
Nov 17, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Video Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Science Credit

Emma Lieb (University of Denver), Ryan Lau (NSF’s NOIRLab), Jennifer Hoffman (University of Denver)

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

James Webb Space Telescope

Space Telescope

Science Overview

Webb Observatory

Webb Image Galleries