An early supernova was captured in photos by a powerful Webb Telescope.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has taken images of one of the earliest supernovas ever discovered, featuring characteristics reminiscent of grains and knots in a piece of wood.

"NASA stated on its website that a massive star's core collapsed, resulting in a shockwave that tore the star apart. When the shockwave reached the star's surface, it punched through, producing a brief, intense pulse of X-rays and ultraviolet light that traveled outward into space."

Scientists are now observing the aftermath of a light pulse reaching interstellar material and causing it to glow, nearly 350 years later.

JWST captured an infrared glow, which revealed knot-like and whorl-like details reminiscent of wood grain.

"NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has been operational for three years, and every image and discovery it produces is a testament to the power of the NASA team and the promise of international partnerships. This groundbreaking mission, NASA's largest international space science collaboration, is a true testament to NASA's ingenuity, teamwork, and pursuit of excellence. As NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, "What a privilege it has been to oversee this monumental effort, shaped by the tireless dedication of thousands of scientists and engineers around the globe. This latest image beautifully captures the lasting legacy of Webb—a keyhole into the past and a mission that will inspire generations to come.""

Astronomers can map the 3-dimensional structure of interstellar dust and gas using the beautiful observations.

Jacob Jencson of Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, the principal investigator of the science program, was taken aback by the level of detail we observed.

Josh Peek, a member of the team from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, stated that they observe layers similar to those of an onion.

"We believe that most dense, dusty regions, whether we can see them or not, resemble this on the inside," he stated. "We have never been able to examine them internally before."

NASA announced that the JWST NIRCam images reveal a phenomenon called light echo, which occurs when a star explodes and its light reflects off surrounding dust masses, causing them to glow.

The echoes of visible light are due to reflection off interstellar material, while infrared echoes are caused by dust being warmed by energetic radiation and emitting light.

The light echo discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope was targeted by scientists, and it is one of many found near the remnants of the Cassiopeia A supernova.

NASA's Webb images reveal tightly packed sheets with filaments exhibiting structures on "remarkably small scales," measuring only about 400 astronomical units or less than one-hundredth of a light year. An astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, and Neptune's orbit is 60 astronomical units in diameter.

Peek stated that we were unaware that the interstellar medium had structures on such a small scale, and that it was sheet-like.

The discovery was compared by scientists to a medical CT scan.

"By examining three slices of the interstellar medium at different times, we can accurately determine its true 3D structure. This will revolutionize our approach to studying this mysterious medium," said Armin Rest of the Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of the team.

The 245th American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D.C. will feature the presentation of the team's findings this week.

The Hubble successor, the Webb Telescope, is a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency.