NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured striking new images of a distant nebula that NASA says resembles a human brain, with two lobes divided by a dark central lane. The object is formally cataloged as PMR 1 and is nicknamed the Exposed Cranium nebula. In a NASA Webb release dated Feb. 25, 2026, the agency said the new observations add fresh detail to a structure astronomers have studied for more than two decades.
A Nebula That Looks Like a Brain
The new Webb images show PMR 1’s two luminous lobes flanking a pronounced dark band, a layout that gives the nebula its memorable nickname. That dark lane, which splits the structure into what looks like left and right hemispheres, may trace back to a powerful outburst or outflow from the dying star at the nebula’s center, according to NASA’s mission summary on the observations. The agency’s description leaned into the visual parallel, opening with the line that “two heads are better than one” when presenting the data, a phrase highlighted in the detailed image notes accompanying the release.
PMR 1 is classified as a planetary nebula, the type of glowing shell that forms when a sun-like star exhausts its fuel and sheds its outer layers. But this particular nebula stands out because studies have identified its central star as a Wolf-Rayet-type candidate, a class of extremely hot stars known for fierce stellar winds. That identification was discussed in spectroscopy published in a Monthly Notices study that drew on data from the AAO/UKST hydrogen-alpha survey. The combination of a Wolf-Rayet core and brain-shaped morphology makes PMR 1 an unusual laboratory for studying how energetic stars shape their surroundings as they die.
How Webb’s Infrared Eyes Pierced the Dust
To produce these images, the telescope relied on two of its primary instruments: NIRCam, the near-infrared camera, and MIRI, the mid-infrared instrument. NIRCam captures shorter infrared wavelengths that reveal hot gas and stellar features, while MIRI is tuned to longer wavelengths that penetrate dust clouds and expose cooler material hidden from optical telescopes. Together, the pair delivered a level of structural detail in PMR 1 that earlier observatories could not match, turning what once looked like a hazy double-lobed glow into a sharply etched portrait of stellar death.
The Spitzer Space Telescope had previously imaged the Exposed Cranium nebula using infrared bandpasses at 3.6, 4.5, and 8.0 micrometers, producing an early color composite that helped popularize the nickname. That earlier view, archived in the Spitzer image collection, provided key context for later studies and comparisons with Webb. Webb’s instruments operate at overlapping but sharper wavelength ranges, and the jump in resolution between Spitzer and Webb is significant enough that structures previously blurred into smooth glows now resolve into filaments, knots, and sharp boundaries. The dark lane dividing the two lobes, for instance, appears far more defined in the new data, giving researchers more to work with when testing whether it reflects an outflow-related structure or a line-of-sight effect.
What the Dark Lane Tells Scientists
The most scientifically charged feature in the new images is that central dark band. NASA’s interpretation suggests it could mark the path of an outburst or directed outflow from the central star, a scenario consistent with the violent mass-loss episodes that Wolf-Rayet stars are known for. If confirmed, the lane would represent a record of asymmetric ejection, meaning the star did not shed material evenly in all directions but instead channeled it along a preferred axis. One plausible explanation, raised in the broader literature but not yet confirmed by Webb spectroscopy, is that a binary companion could help shape the outflow into opposing jets or lobes, potentially leaving a lower-density region that appears as a stark dividing line.
A follow-on analysis in the same journal examined PMR 1 alongside other Wolf-Rayet planetary nebulae, reinforcing the spectral classification and showing that the object belongs to a continuing research program rather than being a one-off curiosity. That body of work gives astronomers a baseline against which to compare the new Webb data, especially when modeling how fast winds interact with slower-moving shells expelled earlier in the star’s life. Still, no primary JWST spectroscopic results for PMR 1’s central star have been publicly released yet, so key questions about the dark lane’s chemical composition and velocity structure remain open. Future spectral observations with Webb could measure Doppler shifts across the lane, potentially revealing whether material is still actively flowing or has settled into a static structure frozen in the aftermath of a long-ago eruption.
Why Planetary Nebulae Still Surprise Astronomers
Planetary nebulae were once considered relatively simple objects: dying stars puff off spherical shells, and those shells glow until they disperse. Decades of observation have dismantled that tidy picture, revealing rings, jets, clumps, and multiple lobes that require interacting winds, magnetic fields, and often binary companions to explain. PMR 1’s brain-like split fits squarely into that pattern, and the presence of a Wolf-Rayet-type central star adds an extra variable because such stars lose mass at rates far exceeding those of ordinary white-dwarf progenitors. The Exposed Cranium nebula therefore serves as a test case for theories that attempt to link central-star properties with the bewildering variety of shapes seen in planetary nebulae across the galaxy.
Webb’s ability to see through dust at infrared wavelengths is particularly valuable here. Optical telescopes miss material embedded in dense lanes, which means earlier images of objects like PMR 1 may have presented an incomplete picture of the mass distribution and total energy budget. The raw observational data behind the new images is archived at the MAST repository operated by the Space Telescope Science Institute, where other research teams can download and reanalyze it using independent processing techniques. That open-access model allows scientists to test competing interpretations of the dark lane and lobe structure, from jet-driven cavities to warped disks, and to compare PMR 1 directly with other unusual planetary nebulae in the Webb catalog.
Connecting Webb’s Views to the Wider Public
For non-specialists, part of the Exposed Cranium nebula’s appeal lies in the almost unsettling resemblance to familiar anatomy, a reminder that the human brain itself is made from elements forged in ancient stars. NASA has increasingly leaned on that kind of visual storytelling to make complex astrophysics accessible, pairing technical releases with explainer videos, animations, and interactive features. Many of these pieces appear on the agency’s main public portal, which collects Webb imagery alongside news about other missions studying the cosmos, from nearby planets to the most distant galaxies yet detected.
Audiences who want to dive deeper into the story of PMR 1 and similar objects can turn to NASA’s growing library of digital features and audio programming. Long-form explainers and image breakdowns are highlighted in the agency’s streaming-style hub, where Webb content is packaged with mission briefings and behind-the-scenes looks at how data become the polished pictures shared online. For listeners, a suite of space-focused podcasts offers interviews with astronomers and engineers who work directly with Webb data, providing context that goes beyond the headline-grabbing resemblance of PMR 1 to a human brain and into the deeper questions about how stars live and die.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
