NASA published on Sept. 10, 2026, an image taken Aug. 11, 2026, by its James Webb Space Telescope showing a bright concentration of stars around Sagittarius A*. Within that starfield, Webb observed IRS 3, a star near the end of its life cycle.

According to the agency, Webb's mid-infrared data revealed the clear signature of oxygen-rich silicate dust in the star's surrounding dust envelope, as well as water there for the first time. The image is credited to ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, F. Peißker, J. Lu, F. Yusef-Zadeh, N. B. Sabha and C. Chan.