New Webb Telescope photos show off the Exposed Cranium Nebula

It’s always a fun day for space enthusiasts when a NASA team has new images to share from the James Webb Space Telescope. Today’s couple have brains on brains, with a look at the aptly named Exposed Skull Nebula. More formally, this cloud of dust and space debris is known as PMR Nebula 1. The images shared today could capture a moment in the final stages of star formation, while also providing clues as to how the nebula got its brain shape.

“The nebula appears to have distinct regions that capture different phases of its evolution: an outer shell of gas that was blown out first and composed mainly of hydrogen, and an inner cloud with more structure that contains a mixture of different gases,” we can read on the NASA blog. The dark line that runs vertically across the nebula, giving it a cranial appearance, could be the result of “an explosion or outflow from the central star, which usually occurs when twin jets erupt in opposite directions.” Webb’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) were used to document the nebula.