NASA's Webb finds shattered star fragments smaller than our solar system in Cassiopeia A

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope revealed fragments of an exploded star smaller than our entire solar system, hidden inside supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. The image was released December 10, 2023, based on data captured November 5, 2022, using Webb's NIRCam instrument. Located 11,090 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia, the remnant showed researchers exactly how the star broke apart during its explosion. Webb also detected several "light echoes," including one particularly large echo nicknamed "Baby Cas A," located about 170 light-years behind the remnant itself — offering scientists a rare, detailed look at the aftermath of a stellar explosion. Video Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University), I. De Looze (UGhent), T. Temim (Princeton University)