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What it is: Nebula PMR 1, also known as “Exposed Cranium”
Location: 5,000 light years away, in the constellation Vela
Share date: February 25, 2026.
The powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed never-before-seen details of a cosmic “skull” made of the glowing remains of a dying star.
This brain object, named PMR 1, is a planetary nebula. An expanding shell of ionized gas and dust ejected by a star during its final stages of evolution, when the nuclear fuel in its core is exhausted. It was first discovered in 2014 by the Spitzer Space Telescope (predecessor to JWST), but until now has been little studied.
This colorful cloud is called the “Exposed Skull” nebula because it looks like a brain inside a transparent skull.
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The new image is divided into two parts, taken with different instruments: the left side is a near-infrared camera (NIRCam), and the right side is a mid-infrared camera (MIRI). By observing objects at different wavelengths, JWST can reveal complex details that were previously invisible, NASA said.
In the NIRCam image, the nebula’s outer bubble is visible with a bright white edge, while the inner cloud glows orange. It is highlighted by a distinctive dark path that cuts vertically through the center, creating the illusion of two brain-like hemispheres. Stars and distant background galaxies can also be seen through the outer shell of the nebula in near-infrared light.
The situation looks different in MIRI images. Mid-infrared light makes the outer bubbles appear slightly purplish and bluish. The glowing clouds within the nebula appear thicker and more complex, while the dark central band is partially obscured by dust and gas, so it is less visible.
This dark path is a perfect example of why Webb’s ability to see the universe at multiple wavelengths of light is so valuable to astronomers. The dark streaks are much easier to see in the NIRCam image, but they appear to be more closely associated with the two gas eruptions occurring at the top and bottom of the nebula, as seen in the MIRI image. Together, the two images paint a more complete picture of what’s going on inside the skulls of this universe.
These images also provide insight into the multiple stages of a star’s evolution, from an outer shell of hydrogen gas ejected early in a star’s life and an inner cloud of a more recently ejected mixture of gas and dust.
What ultimately happens to the star at the center of PMR 1 depends on its mass. It either explodes as a supernova or continues to peel off its layers, leaving behind a dense, shriveled core known as a white dwarf.
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