JWST uncovered four coiled dust shells swirling around the chaotic triple star system Apep. These serpentine patterns, ejected over centuries by two massive Wolf-Rayet stars and shaped by a third companion, glow in mid-infrared light. This first-of-its-kind capture exposes the violent winds of dying giants, a rare laboratory for understanding how heavy elements seed future worlds.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Yinuo Han (Caltech), Ryan White (Macquarie University), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)