‘Exposed Cranium’ leaks its gory secrets in new James Webb telescope images: Space photo of the week
QUICK FACTS
What is this: PMR Nebula 1, also known as the “Exposed Skull”
Where it is: 5,000 light years away in the constellation Vela
When it was shared: February 25, 2026.
The powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed never-before-seen details about a cosmic “skull” made from the bright remains of a dying star.
This cerebral object, named PMR 1, is a planetary nebula – an expanding shell of ionized gas and dust expelled by a star in the final stages of its evolution, when the nuclear fuel in its core is exhausted. It was first spotted in 2014 by the Spitzer Space Telescope (a predecessor to JWST), but has been little studied until now.
The colorful cloud is said to resemble a brain encased in a transparent skull, leading it to be nicknamed the “Exposed Skull” nebula.
The new image consists of two parts, captured by different instruments: the near-infrared camera (NIRCam) on the left and the mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) on the right. By observing the object at different wavelengths, JWST can reveal intricate details that were previously invisible, according to NASA.
In the NIRCam image, the nebula’s outer bubble appears with a bright white edge, while the inner clouds glow orange. It highlights a distinctive dark band that cuts vertically through the center, creating the illusion of two hemispheres, like a brain. Distant background stars and galaxies are also visible through the outer shell of the nebula in near-infrared light.
Things look different in the MIRI image, where mid-infrared light shows an outer bubble that appears bluish with a hint of purple. The bright clouds inside the nebula appear thicker and more complex, while the central dark band is less visible because it is partially obscured by dust and gas.
This dark pathway is a great example of why Webb’s ability to see the universe in multiple wavelengths of light is so valuable to astronomers. Although the dark streak is much easier to see in the NIRCam image, it appears to be more closely related to the twin flares of gas at the top and bottom of the nebula, as shown in the MIRI image. Together, the two images paint a more complete picture of what exactly is going on inside this cosmic skull.
The images also provide insight into multiple stages of the star’s evolution, with an outer envelope of hydrogen gas expelled earlier in the star’s life and inner clouds made of a mixture of gas and dust expelled more recently.
What ultimately happens to the star at the center of PMR 1 depends on its mass: It will either explode like a supernova, or it will continue to decay into layers, leaving behind a dense, shriveled core known as a white dwarf star.
