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Centaur 29P Outgassing (Artist’s Concept)

This is an animation portraying the outgassing activity of Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 based on data gathered by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument. Centaur 29P is one of the most active objects in the outer solar system, undergoing quasi-periodic outbursts in brightness.

The video begins by zooming in for a closer view of an artist’s concept of Centaur 29P. The scene is overlaid with graphics that help define the four different jets of gas before the centaur is rotated so the object can be examined from different angles.

  • Release Date
    October 2, 2024
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Reveals Unusual Jets of Volatile Gas from Icy Centaur 29P
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Video: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI)

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  • Video: 3840x2160, 60 FPS, "Artist's Concept" watermarked, 3840 × 2160, 60 FPS
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  • Video: 3840x2160, 30 FPS, "Artist's Concept" watermarked, 3840 × 2160, 30 FPS
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  • Video: 1920x1080, 60 FPS, "Artist's Concept" watermarked, 1920 × 1080, 60 FPS
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  • Video: 1920x1080, 30 FPS, "Artist's Concept" watermarked, 1920 × 1080, 30 FPS
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  • Video: 3840x2160, 60 FPS, 3840 × 2160, 60 FPS
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  • Video: 3840x2160, 30 FPS, 3840 × 2160, 30 FPS
    mp4 (26.14 MB)
  • Video: 1920x1080, 60 FPS, 3840 × 2160, 60 FPS
    mp4 (24.51 MB)
  • Video: 1920x1080, 30 FPS, 1920 × 1080, 30 FPS
    mp4 (25.84 MB)
  • Audio Description
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  • Image: Poster Image, 1280 × 720
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Related Images & Videos

Artist’s concept of Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 as seen from the side against a dark, mostly starless swath of space. The rocky, bilobed nucleus is toward the right and resembles the simplified shape of a peanut. The left side of the centaur is partially illuminated by the Sun, which is off-screen, revealing the nucleus’ light brown surface. Four jets of gas, depicted as translucent cones of white, emanate from various points on the Centaur’s surface and extend beyond the frame. A label in the bottom left corner reads “Artist’s Concept.”

Centaur 29P Outgassing (Artist's Concept)

An artist’s concept of Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1’s outgassing activity as seen from the side. Prior radio-wavelength observations noted a jet composed of carbon monoxide (CO) gas pointed toward Earth, shown at left from this angle. Astronomers used NASA’s James Webb...

Graphic titled “Centaur 29P Outgassing: NIRSpec Prism Integral Field Unit” with maps showing the abundances of C O and C O 2 surrounding Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 at the left, and two artist’s concepts with graphic overlays showing jets of CO and C O 2 emanating from the centaur at the right.

Centaur 29P Outgassing (NIRSpec)

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, one of the most active objects in the outer solar system. Centaurs are “hybrid” objects in the sense that they share characteristics with trans-Neptunian objects from the Kuiper Belt reservoir and...

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Video Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI)

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