Galactic upcycling ♻️ NASAWebb captured a new close-up of an old favorite, the Helix Nebula. We've seen this region before with telescopes like NASAHubble and the retired Spitzer Space Telescope, but Webb zooms into this dying star with a deeper, more detailed view. The first image shows Webb's view of the blistering winds of hot gas from a dying star crashing into colder shells of dust and gas that were shed earlier in the star's life. Like oil trying to push through water, the differences in density (and speed) of the material give the nebula this incredible structure. Leftover cores of dying Sun-like stars like this one are called white dwarfs. While out of the frame, this white dwarf lies right at the heart of the nebula. Its radiation lights up the surrounding gas, creating an environment for complex molecules to form within dust clouds. This interaction is the catalyst for the raw material from which new planets may one day form in other star systems. It reminds us how stars r...