Cassiopeia A showcases supernova remnants captured by James Webb Space Telescope

The massive stars within our galaxy, the Milky Way, lead very dramatic lives. Stars born from enormous cosmic clouds create heavy elements through nuclear reactions in their interiors. In the case of supernovae, they explode, releasing heavy materials created internally into space after millions of years. The materials that emerge coalesce to form new stars.

The remnant cloud known as Cassiopeia A illustrates the final stage of a star's life. In images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, one can see the still-hot filaments of the supernova remnant. It is estimated that the supernova explosion that created this remnant would have been visible in the sky from Earth about 350 years ago.