James Webb Space Telescope captures quirky ‘Cat’s Head Nebula’

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope revealed the quirky observation on Thursday, Oct. 29.

NASA’s HQ Web Team said: “The distinctive “cat’s head” shape of the nebula was likely 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.”

The nebula lies within the vast Carina Nebula, about 7,500 light-years from Earth, and NASA says it was nicknamed “because of its resemblance to a cat sitting with its back toward the viewer.”