Hubble image archive
Cat’s Head Nebula (Webb NIRCam Image)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared image of the Cat’s Head Nebula peers through some of the dust to reveal a dense field of stars and the filament’s complex surface structure. Faint, wispy structures to the left of the pillar contain material exposed to intense ste...
- Date
- Oct 29, 2026
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- cats-head-nebula-webb-nircam-image
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared image of the Cat’s Head Nebula peers through some of the dust to reveal a dense field of stars and the filament’s complex surface structure. Faint, wispy structures to the left of the pillar contain material exposed to intense stellar radiation.
Webb captures a dense field of stars, shown in blue and yellow. Even in near-infrared light, some stars are still enshrouded in dust. The bright region marking the cat’s eye may contain an embedded young star. The telescope’s high-resolution imagery even reveals faint background galaxies.
Image Details
About the Object
| R.A. Position | 10:45:59.76 |
|---|---|
| Dec. Position | -60:06:23.76 |
| Constellation | Carina |
| Distance | 7,500 - 8,500 light-years |
| Dimensions | Image is about 2.3 arcmin across (about 5.4 light-years) |
About the Data
| Data Description | This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 12591 (M. Garcia Marin). |
|---|---|
| Instrument | NIRCam |
| Exposure Dates | May 27, 2026 |
| Filters | F090W, F187N, F212N, F277W, F335M, F470N |
Downloads
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov