#binary star system

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captures the infrared light from bright protostars in young star system FS Tau. FS Tau A, a pair of protostars that creates the largest diffraction pattern slightly to the left of center, is about half the mass of our Sun. FS Tau B, the orange protostar slightly right of center, is thought to be responsible for the red (molecular hydrogen) and orange (soot-like molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) outflows that we see amid the dusty region. The blue ridges are areas where light has been scattered by dust.

NASA's Webb Telescope has revealed the cloak of dust around the second star, shown at left in red, at the center of the Southern Ring Nebula for the first time. It is a hot, dense white dwarf star. As it transformed into a white dwarf, the star periodically ejected mass, the shells of material you see here. The bluer star at right in this image has also shaped the scene, helping stir up the ejected material. The disk around the stars is also wobbling, shooting out spirals of gas and dust over long periods of time. Webb captured this scene in mid-infrared light, most of which can only be observed from space. Mid-infrared light helps researchers detect objects enshrouded in dust, like the red star. This Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) image also offers an incredible amount of detail, including a cache of distant galaxies in the background.

The bright star at the center of NGC 3132, the Southern Ring Nebula, plays a supporting role in sculpting the nebula's rings — a dimmer companion star hidden along one of its diffraction spikes is the true source, having ejected at least eight layers of gas and dust over thousands of years. Webb's near-infrared view also reveals countless background galaxies through the nebula's transparent regions.