The Ring Nebula comes into focus, and it's astounding

The famous Ring Nebula is seen in brilliant new clarity, thanks to a new James Webb Space Telescope image released by researchers in the JWST Ring Nebula Imaging Project. The image was processed by Roger Wesson, according to Western University in Ontario. (NASA/ESA/CSA)

Gone are the days when the Ring Nebula looked sort of like a bagel, or a jelly doughnut, a massive astronomical blob holding the secrets of a dying star.

The new images of the famous Ring Nebula from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are mesmerizing, with glowing rings of gas and wispy trails emanating from the core. We can see it in more clarity than ever, including thousands of clumps that make up its main ring.