The Cat’s Paw Nebula: 3rd Anniversary Image | James Webb Space Telescope

The Cat’s Paw Nebula: 3rd Anniversary Image | James Webb Space Telescope

To mark its third year of highly productive science, astronomers used the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope to scratch beyond the surface of the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334), a massive, local star-forming region. With its near-infrared capabilities and sharp resolution, the telescope “clawed” back a portion of a singular “toe bean,” revealing a subset of mini toe bean-reminiscent structures composed of gas, dust, and young stars.

Webb’s view reveals a chaotic scene still in development—massive young stars are carving away at nearby gas and dust, while their bright starlight is producing a bright nebulous glow represented in blue. The disruptive young stars, with their relatively short lifespans and luminosity, will eventually quench the local star formation process.

The Cat’s Paw Nebula is located approximately 4,000 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.

Credit:
Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann
Editing: Nico Bartmann
Web and technical support: Enciso Systems
Written by: Bethany Downer
Footage and photos: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, STScI, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
Duration: 1 minute, 24 seconds
Release Date: July 10, 2025

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