" It is an absolute shame that the Constellation Carina, visible from the Southern Hemisphere, cannot be seen from the Jodrell Plank Observatory, located in the United Kingdom. There are just so many interesting objects to image in this constellation. Kurt is a regular reader of the NASA internet site and was much impressed by this James Webb Telescope image of the Cat's Head Nebula. The following is the NASA description copied from the site. We would recommend visiting the NASA website where there are more related images and videos" - Joel Cairo CEO of the JPO the UK's most easterly Astronomical Observatory.
Cat’s Head Nebula (Webb MIRI Image)
Mid-infrared image of the Cat’s Head Nebula by the James Webb Space Telescope. A bluish-gray filament of dust is in the center, stretching from the bottom to almost the very top. It has a narrow, irregular shape that resembles a cat sitting with its back toward the viewer and a tail extending downward. The tail ends at the lower one-third of the image and widens to a triangular peak of dust. The cat’s head is turned toward the right, revealing a white glowing eye. The background is mostly red, with the top left and right corners revealing the black background of space. On the cat’s left is a dome-shaped grouping of faint filaments of dust. Scattered throughout the view are yellow and blue stars, some with Webb’s signature eight-point diffraction spikes.
In NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared image, emission from warm dust and carbon-based molecules excited by starlight outlines intricate structures within the nebula. Changes in local conditions and compositions cause variations in color and brightness. Fine strands and globules are especially apparent to the left of the main pillar.
To the right of the pillar, a bright yellow light source is seen against reddish mid-infrared emission, probably an infant star embedded in dust. A narrow filament appears to cross the likely star, although its physical relationship to the star is not established. Several blue stars are scattered throughout, some with Webb’s characteristic diffraction spikes.
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 5.3 arcmin across (about 12.3 light-years)
About the Data
Data Description
This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 12591 (M. Garcia Marin).
Instrument
MIRI
Exposure Dates
May 27, 2026
Filters
F770W, F1130W, F1500W
Object Name
NGC 3372; HH 903; Cat's Head Nebula; Carina Nebula
Object Description
Star forming region; Emission Nebula; HII region
Release Date
October 29, 2026
Science Release
Ghostly Cat’s Head Nebula Lurks Within Sight of NASA’s Hubble, Webb
Credit
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
Mid-infrared image of the Cat’s Head Nebula by the James Webb Space Telescope. A bluish-gray filament of dust is in the center, stretching from the bottom to almost the very top. It has a narrow, irregular shape that resembles a cat sitting with its back toward the viewer and a tail extending downward. The tail ends at the lower one-third of the image and widens to a triangular peak of dust. The cat’s head is turned toward the right, revealing a white glowing eye. The background is mostly red, with the top left and right corners revealing the black background of space. On the cat’s left is a dome-shaped grouping of faint filaments of dust. Scattered throughout the view are yellow and blue stars, some with Webb’s signature eight-point diffraction spikes.
Color Info
This image was acquired by the MIRI instrument on the Webb Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample varying wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue=F770W, Green=F1130W, Red=F1500W
