James Webb Space Telescope Celebrates Third Birthday with Stunning Cats Paw Nebula Pic

Hard to believe but it's already three years since the James Webb Space Telescope started its science operations. NASA has celebrated with a deep dive into the Cat's Paw Nebula.

To celebrate the third anniversary of Webb beginning to deliver science data, astronomers have used the telescope to scratch beyond the surface of the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334). The result is that magical combination of science and awe-inspiring imagery that space telescopes specialise in, focusing Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) on a single “toe bean” within this active star-forming region. This reveals a subset of mini toe beans, which appear to contain young stars shaping the surrounding gas and dust.

Located approximately 4000 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, the Cat’s Paw Nebula offers scientists the opportunity to study the turbulent cloud-to-star process in great detail. Webb’s observation of the nebula in near-infrared light builds upon previous studies by NASA’s Hubble and the now retired Spitzer Space Telescope in visible- and infrared-light, respectively.

With its sharp resolution, Webb shows never-before-seen structural details and features.

There's some good stuff in this image. The small, fiery red clumps scattered amongst the brown dust in the centre of the image mark regions where massive star formation is underway, albeit rather obscured. The bright, red-orange oval at top right looks to be a dense area just beginning its star-formation process. And the toe bean at top center is nicknamed the “Opera House” for its circular, tiered-like structure. The main drivers for the area’s cloudy blue glow are most likely toward its bottom: either the light from the bright yellowish stars or from a nearby source still hidden behind the dense, dark brown dust. 

Webb's done a lot in its three years, from refining the science of near objects such as Saturn’s water supply being fed by a giant fountain of vapor spewing from Enceladus, to uncovering the fact that deep space is scattered with enigmatic Little Red Dots, that are in fact a distant population of mysteriously compact, bright, red galaxies. You get the feeling it's only just started too. Here's to the next three years...