A combined Webb and Hubble view of spiral galaxy NGC 1637. The panel shows a detailed view of a red supergiant star pre- and post-supernova. Before exploding, it is only visible to Webb. Hubble shows the glowing aftermath. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Charles Kilpatrick (Northwestern), Aswin Suresh (Northwestern); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
Scientists used archival images from NASA’s Webb telescope to identify the source of a new supernova named 2025pht — a red supergiant star in galaxy NGC 1637.
Massive stars that explode as supernovae should also be bright and luminous — easy to identify in pre-supernova images. That hasn’t been the case, though.
One potential explanation for these missing red supergiants is that they produce obscuring clouds of gas and dust as they age.
Webb’s observations of the star that preceded 2025pht seem to support that hypothesis. It’s surrounded by a surprising amount of carbon-rich dust.
Now the researchers are going back through more archival data to look for similar red supergiants that may explode as supernovae in the future.
More About Webb
Tools developed for measuring Webb’s mirrors are now used for diagnosing eye diseases and have driven improvements to LASIK eye surgery.
High-quality beryllium manufacturing processes developed for Webb’s mirrors has medical applications. For example, beryllium shielding can lower X-ray doses received by patients.
Microshutters, a key component of NIRSpec, are planned for use in future space missions and may find use in medicine. Selectively opening these tiny apertures in a large array allows NIRSpec to obtain high-resolution data on up to 100 objects simultaneously.
Near-infrared detectors developed for Webb are incorporated into numerous flying or planned NASA and ESA missions.
Webb, which orbits the Sun almost a million miles behind Earth, is the most powerful space observatory yet built.
