NASA and ESA released three views of a narrow pillar of gas and dust in the Carina Nebula on 29 October 2026. Nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula for its outline, this star-forming region is about 7,500 light-years from Earth. The NASA image release places a visible-light view from Hubble alongside two infrared views from Webb.
The comparison matters because the same cloud reveals different details in different kinds of light. Dust that hides parts of the scene in visible light becomes more transparent in Webb’s near-infrared image, while mid-infrared light highlights other material within the cloud.
What changes between the three views
Hubble shows the pillar as a dark shape against glowing gas, with a bright rim along one edge. Webb’s near-infrared image reveals more stars and finer structures around and within the dust. Webb’s mid-infrared image shifts attention to the cloud’s material, where warm dust and carbon-based molecules mark fine structures.
The ESA comparison image arranges the views from left to right: Hubble in visible light, Webb in near-infrared light, and Webb in mid-infrared light. The pillar is recognisable in each, but its surroundings and internal detail change.
What the images cannot settle
NASA says radiation and winds from massive nearby stars likely wore away surrounding gas and dust, leaving denser material in the cat-like shape. The bright point at the cat’s “eye” may be a young star partly embedded in dust. These are interpretations of the images, not confirmed identifications of every bright feature.
A separate yellow source in Webb’s mid-infrared view is likely an infant star, but the ESA image description says an image alone cannot establish whether the thin filament crossing it is physically connected. Together, the views give astronomers more ways to examine a star-forming cloud without claiming that every feature is fully understood.
The Cat’s Head Nebula in visible light from Hubble (left), near-infrared light from Webb (centre), and mid-infrared light from Webb (right). Image: NASA & ESA, via ESA. CC BY 4.0. Resized for display.
