00:00 Cassiopeia A is one of the most studied areas of space, due in no small part to both its
00:08 proximity and history.
00:10 It was first discovered in the late 17th century and resides only 11,000 light years away,
00:15 quite close in cosmic terms.
00:17 But now we're getting a look at it like never before, as the James Webb Space Telescope
00:21 has zeroed in on it with its near-infrared lens.
00:23 Cassiopeia A is actually the remnant of a supernova star, and these new observations
00:28 are letting astronomers watch the evolution of such an event in real time.
00:32 And with the James Webb Telescope, they have even found another structure just outside
00:35 of the supernova proper.
00:37 They're calling this smaller mirrored version of the remnant "Baby Cass A" since it very
00:41 much looks like a smaller version of the star explosion.
00:44 However, it's not actually part of the supernova at all.
00:46 It's simply a cloud of dust around 170 light years behind Cassiopeia A, with the light
00:52 from the supernova simply reflecting off of it, a phenomenon called light echo.
00:56 This new info, coupled with the telescope's mid-infrared wavelength observations made
01:00 earlier this year, are giving astronomers new insights into supernova evolution.
01:05 -END-
