NASA unveils Hubble and Webb views of Cat’s Head nebula

NASA on Thursday released new images from the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope that show a star-forming feature nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula. The small region sits within the Carina Nebula, about 7,500 light-years from Earth, NASA said.

The paired views are intended to help astronomers study star formation, which NASA described as elusive, chaotic, and complex. The agency said the Cat’s Head Nebula is a temporary scene that will disperse as stars form and evolve over time.

According to NASA, the nebula’s distinctive shape was likely carved by intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from massive nearby stars. As this feedback erodes gas and dust, denser material inside the pillar resists erosion for now.

Hubble’s visible-light image shows a dark brown pillar of dust edged by a bright rim of gas. NASA said surrounding blue regions include light from ionized gas and starlight scattered by dust. The glowing red “eye” may indicate a young star that is still partially embedded in dust.

Color changes around the pillar trace different elements and effects, NASA said. Hubble’s filters capture light from oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur, as well as scattered starlight, revealing a complex mix of excited gas, dust, and illumination.

Webb’s near-infrared view makes the dust more transparent and brings out the pillar’s surface structure. NASA said the image shows a dense scattering of stars in blue and yellow, with some still shrouded by dust, and even faint background galaxies seen through the Milky Way.

Webb’s mid-infrared view traces emission from warm dust and carbon-based molecules excited by starlight, outlining intricate structures with changes in color and brightness tied to local conditions. Delicate globules and strands to the pillar’s left are especially clear in this wavelength, NASA said.

To the right of the pillar, Webb’s mid-infrared image shows a bright yellow source set against reddish emission from surrounding material. NASA said it is likely an infant star embedded in dust. A narrow filament appears to cross the source, but the image alone cannot show if they are physically related.

NASA said Hubble has operated for more than three decades as a joint project with the European Space Agency, with Goddard Space Flight Center managing the mission. Webb is an international program led by NASA with partners in Europe and Canada, and is designed to study targets from our solar system to distant galaxies.