Cat's Head Nebula: Hubble catches its glowing red eye

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows the Cat's Head Nebula, an opaque pillar of dust in the Carina Nebula about 7,500 to 8,500 light-years away (NGC 3372, HH 903). The cat's glowing red eye may indicate a young star embedded in the dust. The pillar's hazy yellow rim is consistent with photoevaporation, where ultraviolet light heats and evaporates the gas. Arcs of material at the bottom may have been shaped by ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from massive stars nearby. The background shifts from blue and cyan above the pillar to yellow, orange, and red below, as Hubble's filters record scattered starlight and light emitted by oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur.

Source: NASA Science, "Cat's Head Nebula (Hubble WFC3 Image)," released October 29, 2026.

Image credit: Image: NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI).