Hubble and Webb capture Cat's Head Nebula star-forming scene

Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope have recorded the Cat's Head Nebula, a feature within the Carina Nebula. Hubble captured the star-forming scene in visible light, while Webb provided near- and mid-infrared views. The complementary observations help study star formation.

The Cat's Head Nebula is within the Carina Nebula, a massive gas and dust cloud described as a diffuse star-forming region. The Carina Nebula is 7500 light-years away.

The nickname comes from a resemblance to a cat. Ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds are said to have shaped the nebula.

Hubble's visible-light view shows a dark dust pillar, described as opaque and dark brown. Its filters captured oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur and scattered starlight.

Webb's infrared images bring out stars and hidden details. Its near- and mid-infrared images provide information, and the near-infrared view reveals a dense scattering of stars. The filament is more transparent in near-infrared, optical nebulosity is less prominent, and some stars are enshrouded in dust.

In mid-infrared light, emission outlines nebula structures, and globules and strands are evident. A bright light source appears yellow, and a narrow filament appears to cross the source. A jet-like feature may indicate a young-star outflow, while a red eye may mark an embedded young star.

Surrounding material glows blue, cyan, yellow, orange and red, with a hazy yellow ridge along the right side. A bright rim is consistent with ionised gas and photoevaporation, and bluish and greenish emission includes PAHs. Colour variations may reflect changes in PAHs, dust and irradiation.

Ultraviolet light heats and evaporates gas. Denser material resists erosion, ghostly wisps are exposed to radiation, and the scene is described as temporary and one that will disperse.

Hubble is an ESA and NASA international cooperation, while Webb is a NASA, ESA and CSA partnership. The complementary views help study star formation.

The supplied facts do not identify a lunar payload, lander, mission or destination. The event is an astronomical observation of a star-forming region.

The reportable significance is the complementary visible and infrared observations, and the NASA, ESA and CSA partnerships behind the telescopes, used to study star formation.