The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has once again showcased remarkable achievements as it marks the 3rd anniversary of its mission. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released a new image of the 'Cat's Paw Nebula' (NGC 6334) captured by the Webb telescope on the 10th (Eastern Daylight Time).
This nebula has been named the 'Cat's Paw Nebula' due to its unique shape resembling a cat's paw print. Son Sang-mo, the chief researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute operating the James Webb Space Telescope, noted on social media, "While contemplating how to translate it into Korean, we occasionally referred to it as 'Nyangbal Nebula.'"
The Nyangbal Nebula is located about 4,000 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. The entire nebula spans approximately 80 to 90 light-years, appearing slightly larger than a full moon in the night sky.
The Webb telescope captured the Nyangbal Nebula in infrared view. Although infrared is light that is not visible to the naked eye, it can penetrate dense clouds of dust, allowing observation of what lies inside. As a result, it can capture stars or gases that are invisible to the naked eye or regular telescopes, vividly illustrating the birth process of newly formed stars within the nebula.
The reddish elliptical structure located at the top right of the image shows the early stages of star formation. NASA explained, "The newly formed stars here emit strong energy that pushes away gas and dust, creating shock waves that are clearly captured in the image."
At the center top of the nebula, there is a structure nicknamed the 'Opera House.' Resembling a shell placed on top of each other, the orange-tinted brown dust is stacked in concentric circles. Below it, a star emitting a yellow hue is pushing away the surrounding gas to create its own shell. Observing these structures enables the study of not only the star formation process but also the evolution of the universe and the potential for life.
Shawn Domagal-Goldman, the acting Director General of the astrophysics institutional sector at NASA, said, "The Webb telescope is perfectly fulfilling its initial goals in its 3rd year of operation, and it's even more fascinating that Webb is not only providing answers but also raising more questions."
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest space telescope ever built, developed with an investment of 13 trillion won over 25 years by the United States, Europe, and Canada. It is named after James Edwin Webb, who was the second Director General of NASA. Launched on Christmas Day 2021, it arrived at its observation point 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in January the following year.
Since officially beginning operations in 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope has been discovering the oldest early galaxies in the universe and analyzing the atmospheres of exoplanets, capturing cosmic wonders not previously observable by humanity.
With the release of this image, NASA stated, "The Webb telescope has scraped away the thick dust layers of the Cat's Paw Nebula and has observed what lies within, showcasing a new face of the universe that has never been seen before."