WORLDTECHNASA's Webb Telescope Images the Cat's Head Nebula in Mid-Infrared
Full credit
File:NASA Science Calendar 2021.pdf / NASA This image was created with Adobe InDesign . / https://eospso.nasa.gov/https%3A/eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/publications/2021-nasa-science-calendar ( direct link ) / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA_Science_Calendar_2021.pdfSource pageNASA has released a mid-infrared view from its James Webb Space Telescope showing intricate structures within the Cat's Head Nebula. The image was published by NASA itself, with credit to NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI and image processing by Joseph DePasquale of STScI.
Image released by NASA
The mid-infrared picture of the Cat's Head Nebula was released by NASA from the James Webb Space Telescope. The release is credited to NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI, with image processing by Joseph DePasquale of STScI. The article was posted by NASA's web team and is dated October 30, 2026.
Origin of the nebula's shape
The nebula's distinctive shape, which gives it its name, was likely sculpted over time by intense ultraviolet radiation and winds from massive stars in the Carina Nebula. NASA's account presents this as the most probable explanation rather than a settled finding.
Open questions
- How much of the nebula's shape is attributable to the winds of individual massive stars rather than the overall radiation field?