NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Nebula PMR 1 is a cloud of gas and dust that bears an uncanny resemblance to a brain in a transparent skull, inspiring its nickname, the “Exposed Cranium” nebula.

Webb captured its unusual features in both near- and mid-infrared light. The nebula was first revealed in infrared light by a predecessor to Webb, NASA’s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope, more than a decade ago.

Webb’s advanced instruments show detail that enhances the nebula’s brain-like appearance. This image, released on

Feb.…