APOD: 2026 August 26 – JWST Images The Lion’s Head Nebula
The post APOD: 2026 August 26 – JWST Images The Lion’s Head Nebula appeared first on NASA Science .
On August 26, 2026, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) presented a stunning composite image of the Lion's Head Nebula (NGC 2392) featuring its NIRCam and MIRI instruments. This nebula, the remnant of a Sun-like star, is shedding layers of gas and dust into space, forming a planetary nebula. Within the nebula's nasal region lies a white dwarf star, the leftover core of the original star.
The white dwarf's intense radiation is ionizing the gas as it expands, creating an irregular bubble that forms the lion's face. Dust clumps that have survived the white dwarf's radiation and a cloud of ionized gas make up the lion's mane. This new, detailed view of the nebula will provide humanity with valuable insights into how gas and dust interact with each other and the white dwarf's radiation.
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- APOD: 2026 August 26 – JWST Images The Lion’s Head Nebula science.nasa.gov
