Hubble and Webb reveal contrasting views of the Cat’s Head Nebula

The Hubble and James Webb space telescopes have captured complementary views of a star-forming region in the Carina Nebula, about 7,500 light-years from Earth. Webb’s infrared images reveal stars and structures obscured by dust in Hubble’s visible-light view, offering astronomers different ways to study how stars form.

The observed patch is nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula because its dark, elongated pillar resembles a cat sitting with its back to the viewer. Hubble shows the pillar as an opaque shape, with a red glow that may mark a young star still partly embedded in dust.

Webb’s near-infrared view makes the pillar more transparent, exposing its complex surface and a dense scattering of stars. Its mid-infrared image traces warm dust and carbon-based molecules, while delicate globules and strands stand out beside the pillar.

The European Space Agency says the pillar’s shape was likely sculpted by ultraviolet radiation and winds from massive stars in Carina. Denser material within it has resisted erosion so far. The agency also notes that a faint jet-like feature near the pillar could indicate an outflow from a young star.

The Cat’s Head is a selected area within the much larger Carina Nebula. ESA says the region will eventually disperse; the two telescopes’ different views are helping astronomers examine the processes behind star formation.