In addition to capturing 17 episodes, James Webb was able to analyze the light emitted by those episodes. As a result, the scientists were also able to investigate the formation of those rings. They mainly find polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are very carbon-rich compounds. PAHs can be found in burning toast and vehicle emissions, but the PAHs that are emitted from stars are of a different caliber. It is believed to enrich the carbon environment throughout the universe. This is important for the evolution of stars and planets.
The 17-ring structure has evolved over 130 years. “We’re looking at more than a century of dust production with this system,” said Ryan Lau of the US National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab. Scientists hope this will provide new insights into how the first generation of stars filled their surroundings with dust and gas, which in turn gave rise to later generations of stars.
According to NASA, James Webb’s observation showed that Wolf-Rayet stars can produce and store carbon-rich particles. Who knows, maybe our sun was formed with the help of the Wolf-Rayet star, it seems.
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