Planetary nebulae (PNe) serve as excellent laboratories for studying the physics and chemistry of photoionized and photon-dissociated regions (PDRs), which are shaped by intense UV radiation. They also provide insights into dust grain formation, processes relevant to star-forming regions and protoplanetary disks. A key advantage of PNe is their large spatial extent, allowing for detailed observation with modern telescopes like the JWST.

We present JWST spectral mapping of the planetary nebula NGC 6302, one of the most extreme PNe, characterised by a bipolar morphology, fast outflows, and an extremely hot central star (~220,000 K). NGC 6302 is a prototype of mixed chemistry, exhibiting both oxygen- and carbon-based compounds, including silicate and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) dust.

JWST detected PAHs, as well as CH3+, the key ingredient to trigger ionised molecular chemistry. The stratification of H+, H2 and PAHs in NGC 6302 differs from what is observed in a typical PDR (photo-dissociation region), the Orion Bar. One of the possible explanations is that the formation timescale of PAHs is longer than that of H2, capturing the site of PAH formation on the disk and the outflow.

We briefly show the latest JWST results of Supernova 1987A.