PMR 1—The Exposed Cranium Nebula: MIRI & NIRCam images | Webb Telescope

PMR 1—The Exposed Cranium Nebula: MIRI & NIRCam images | Webb Telescope

Nebula PMR 1 is a cloud of gas and dust located in the Vela constellation that bears an uncanny resemblance to a brain in a transparent skull, inspiring its nickname, the “Exposed Cranium” nebula. The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope Webb captured its unusual features in both near- and mid-infrared light using two instruments that reveal enhancing details of the nebula’s brain-like appearance.

Distance from Earth: ~5,000 light years

The first image shown that reveals the light captured by Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), while stars and background galaxies shine through in the second image from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).

The dark center lane that contributes to this nebula’s distinctive brain-like appearance is more noticeable in NIRCam, but its apparent role in the ejection of material at the top and bottom of the nebula is seen more clearly in MIRI’s view. Observing the cosmos in multiple wavelengths of light provides a more complete picture of how the universe works.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 25, 2026

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