Overview
- NASA released Webb mid‑infrared images showing, for the first time, four layered shells around two Wolf–Rayet stars in the Apep system.
- A distant supergiant companion is confirmed as gravitationally bound, cutting a recurring wedge‑shaped gap through each expanding shell.
- Researchers combined Webb imagery with years of VLT velocity data to infer an unusually long orbital period of about 190–193 years.
- The shells trace repeating dust‑making episodes over roughly 700 years, with carbon‑rich material racing outward at about 1,200–2,000 miles per second.
- Authors report that Apep may lie farther away than earlier estimates—possibly around 15,000 light‑years—underscoring the need for follow‑up distance measurements.