Formation of holes and rings in Cassiopeia A

3D ModelNoAI

Recent observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have unveiled an intriguing structure within the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), known as the ‘Green Monster’ (GM), whose properties point to a circumstellar medium origin. The visualization offers a detailed close-up (representing one two-hundredth of the simulated domain) of the ejecta fingers extending from the contact discontinuity, accompanied by the perturbed magnetic field, capturing approximately 150 years of evolution leading up to Cas A’s current age (with time progressing from left to right). The irregular isosurface shows the ejecta, while the green volumetric rendering highlights a shocked shell of circumstellar medium. Sampled magnetic field lines illustrate the magnetic field configuration, with colors representing field strength. As the remnant expands upward, clumps and fingers of ejecta pierce through the shell, forming holes and rings.

Reference: Orlando et al. (A&A 696, id.A188)