Slider Tool: Cat’s Head Nebula (Hubble WFC3 and Webb MIRI views)

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 7,500 light-years away from Earth. The two telescopes offer complementary views of the shadowy form, nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula, which reflects the “magical” process of star formation. Hubble’s visible-light view shows the cat as a dark, elongated dust pillar and hints of young forming stars, while Webb’s infrared-light imagery unveils many stars and other hidden details.

The image on the left shows the nebula in visible light from Hubble’s WFC3 instrument. The image on the right shows the nebula in mid-infrared from Webb’s MIRI instrument.