\t\t\t\t\t\t29\/10\/2026<\/span> The NASA\/ESA Hubble and the NASA\/ESA\/CSA James Webb Space Telescopes recently stared at an eerie star-forming scene within the Carina Nebula, a massive gas and dust cloud located approximately 7500 light-years away from Earth. The two telescopes offer complementary views of the shadowy form, nicknamed the Cat\u2019s Head Nebula, which reflects the ‘magical” process of star formation. Hubble\u2019s visible-light view shows the cat as a dark, elongated dust pillar and hints of young forming stars, while Webb\u2019s infrared-light imagery unveils many stars and other hidden details.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Like a spectral form rising out of a cold mist, the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes have come across a hauntingly dynamic star-forming scene within the vast Carina Nebula, a diffuse star-forming region. The small, select area that was observed by both telescopes is nicknamed the Cat\u2019s Head Nebula because of its resemblance to a cat sitting with its back toward the viewer. The ‘head’ of the cat is turned to the right, revealing a glowing eye.<\/p>\n The distinctive shape of the Cat\u2019s Head Nebula has likely been sculpted over time by the intense ultraviolet radiation and winds from massive stars in the Carina Nebula. As this stellar feedback erodes the surrounding gas and dust, denser material within the feline-shaped pillar resists erosion, at least for now.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Hubble\u2019s visible-light view shows the nebula as an opaque, dark brown pillar of dust. The cat\u2019s glowing red eye may mark a young star that is still partially embedded in the dust. A ridge of hazy yellow seems to follow the edge of the filament\u2019s right side. This bright rim is consistent with gas illuminated and ionised by ultraviolet radiation from nearby massive stars, potentially driving photoevaporation. This wispy outline is a sign that energetic ultraviolet light from massive, hot stars is impinging on the gas, heating it up and essentially evaporating it.<\/p>\n The diffuse material surrounding the pillar glows blue and cyan above, shifting to yellow, orange, and red toward the bottom. Hubble\u2019s filters capture light emitted by oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur, along with starlight scattered by dust. These colour variations reveal a complex mix of excited gas, dust, and stellar illumination.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Webb\u2019s near- and mid-infrared images each offer different pieces of information to help create a more well-rounded understanding of the Cat\u2019s Head Nebula. While the nebula\u2019s overall structure is similar to the visible-light image, the filament becomes more transparent, and its complex surface structure becomes discernable in near-infrared light. On the cat\u2019s left are ghostly wisps of dust and gas, delicate structures exposed to radiation from nearby massive stars.<\/p>\n The bright optical nebulosity visible to Hubble becomes less prominent in Webb\u2019s near-infrared image. Instead, Webb\u2019s near-infrared view reveals a dense scattering of stars that appear blue and yellow in this colour-composite image. Even in infrared light, some stars are still enshrouded in dust to various degrees. The cat\u2019s eye remains conspicuous, while a faint jet-like feature near the cat\u2019s belly could indicate an outflow associated with a young star.The cat\u2019s eye is a more obvious example of an embedded star, while a faint jet protruding from the cat\u2019s belly hints that a young star is located nearby, perhaps within the cat or externally just to its right.\u00a0<\/p>\n In mid-infrared light, emission from warm dust and carbon-based molecules outlines intricate structures within the nebula. The filament\u2019s bluish and greenish colours highlight emission that includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbon-based molecules excited by starlight. These variations in colour and brightness may reflect changes in PAH emission, dust continuum, and local irradiation, rather than temperature alone. Delicate globules and strands to the pillar\u2019s left are particularly evident in this mid-infrared view.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n To the right of the pillar, a bright light source appears yellow in the mid-infrared image. It lies against reddish emission from surrounding material. A narrow filament appears to cross the source, although the image alone cannot establish whether the two are physically related.<\/p>\n Though the Cat\u2019s Head Nebula is a temporary scene that will eventually disperse, the region is packed with information. Hubble and Webb\u2019s complementary views of the Cat\u2019s Head Nebula are helping astronomers learn more about the elusive, chaotic, and complex process known as star formation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.<\/p>\n Webb\u00a0is the largest, most powerful telescope ever launched into space. Under an international collaboration agreement, ESA provided the telescope\u2019s launch service, using the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Working with partners, ESA was responsible for the development and qualification of Ariane 5 adaptations for the Webb mission and for the procurement of the launch service by Arianespace. ESA also provided the workhorse spectrograph\u00a0NIRSpec\u00a0and 50% of the mid-infrared instrument\u00a0MIRI, which was designed and built by a consortium of nationally funded European Institutes (The MIRI European Consortium) in partnership with JPL and the University of Arizona.<\/p>\n Webb is an international partnership between NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).<\/p>\n Release on esawebb.org<\/p>\n Release on esahubble.org<\/p>\n Release on NASA website<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \nContact:<\/b> \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPiercing through dust\u2019s darkness<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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