Hubble and Webb telescopes reveal Cat’s Head Nebula

NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes have captured complementary views of a star-forming region nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula. Located within the massive Carina Nebula approximately 7,500 light-years from Earth, the structure appears as a dusty filament shaped like a cat sitting with its back to the observer.

Hubble’s visible-light observations show a dark, opaque brown dust pillar with a bright rim of ionized gas, where radiation from nearby massive stars is heating and evaporating the material. A glowing red eye in the image may indicate a young star still partially embedded in the dust.

In contrast, the James Webb Space Telescope uses infrared technology to pierce through the cosmic dust. Its near-infrared and mid-infrared views reveal dense clusters of stars, fine surface structures, and even faint background galaxies located beyond the Milky Way. By combining these different wavelengths, astronomers can better study the complex and chaotic processes of stellar formation and the effects of stellar feedback on the surrounding environment.