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Carina Nebula Jets (NIRCam Narrowband Filters)

The image is split into four boxes. The large box on the left-hand side of the image takes up half of the entire image, then the 3 boxes on the right (two boxes split vertically at the top, the third across the bottom) are pull-outs from labeled 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The large image at the left is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. The 3 pull-out images are close-ups in on bright red splotches within the loud, labeled as fiery molecular hydrogen outflows and jet and bow shocks.

Dozens of previously hidden jets and outflows from young stars are revealed in this new image of the Cosmic Cliffs from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). The Cosmic Cliffs, a region at the edge of a gigantic, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, has long intrigued astronomers as a hotbed for star formation.

Many details of star formation in NGC 3324 remain hidden at visible-light wavelengths. Webb is perfectly primed to tease out these long-sought-after details since it can detect jets and outflows seen only in the infrared at high resolution.

This image separates out several wavelengths of light from the iconic First Image revealed on July 12, 2022 which highlight molecular hydrogen, a vital ingredient for star formation. Insets on the right-hand side highlight three regions of the Cosmic Cliffs with particularly active molecular hydrogen outflows.

In this image, red, green, and blue were assigned to Webb’s NIRCam data at 4.7, 4.44, and 1.87 microns (F470N, F444W, and F187N filters, respectively).

Webb’s NIRCam was built by a team at the University of Arizona and Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    10:36:59.0
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -58:37:00.0
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Carina
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    7,600 light-years (2,300 parsecs)
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Main image is about 7.3 arcminutes across (about 16 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    This image was created with Webb data from proposal 2731 . It is part of Webb Early Release Observations.

    The Early Release Observations and associated materials were developed, executed, and compiled by the ERO production team:

    Jaclyn Barrientes, Claire Blome, Hannah Braun, Matthew Brown, Margaret Carruthers, Dan Coe, Joseph DePasquale, Nestor Espinoza, Macarena Garcia Marin, Karl Gordon, Alaina Henry, Leah Hustak, Andi James, Ann Jenkins, Anton Koekemoer, Stephanie LaMassa, David Law, Alexandra Lockwood, Amaya Moro-Martin, Susan Mullally, Alyssa Pagan, Dani Player, Klaus Pontoppidan, Charles Proffitt, Christine Pulliam, Leah Ramsay, Swara Ravindranath, Neill Reid, Massimo Robberto, Elena Sabbi, Leonardo Ubeda. 

    The EROs were also made possible by the foundational efforts and support from the JWST instruments, STScI planning and scheduling, Data Management teams, and Office of Public Outreach.

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    NIRCam
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    3 June 2022
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F187N, F444W, F470N
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 3324, Carina Nebula
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Star-forming region in the Carina Nebula
  • Release Date
    December 15, 2022
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Unveils Young Stars in Early Stages of Formation
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Science: Megan Reiter (Rice University); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton Koekemoer (STScI)

Downloads

  • Annotated, Full Res (For Display), 4958 × 2676
    png (16.18 MB)
  • Annotated, Full Res (For Print), 4958 × 2676
    tif (17.1 MB)
  • Annotated, 2000 × 1079
    png (2.83 MB)
  • Unannotated, Full Res (For Display), 4958 × 2676
    png (15.86 MB)
  • Unannotated, Full Res (For Print), 4958 × 2676
    tif (16.91 MB)
  • Unannotated, 2000 × 1079
    png (2.77 MB)
The image is split into four boxes. The large box on the left-hand side of the image takes up half of the entire image, then the 3 boxes on the right (two boxes split vertically at the top, the third across the bottom) are pull-outs from labeled 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The large image at the left is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. The 3 pull-out images are close-ups in on bright red splotches within the loud, labeled as fiery molecular hydrogen outflows and jet and bow shocks.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample narrow and broad 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:   Red: F470N, Green: F444W, Blue: F187N

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Image titled James Webb Space Telescope, Carina Nebula, NGC 3324 with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key. Image shows bright eight-pointed stars scattered across a dense orange-brown undulating cloudscape below a deep blue starscape. At the bottom left are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 4 o’clock direction. The east arrow points toward 1 o’clock. At the lower right is a scale bar labeled 2 light-years. The length of the scale bar is a little less than one-eighth the total width of the image. Below the image is a color key showing which NIRCam filters were used to create the image and which visible-light color is assigned to each filter. From left to right, NIRCam filters are: F187N is blue; F444W is green; and F470N is red.

Carina Nebula Jets (NIRCam Narrowband Filters Compass Image)

Image of the Cosmic Cliffs, a region at the edge of a gigantic, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on...

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Science Credit

Megan Reiter (Rice University)

Image Processing Credit

Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton Koekemoer (STScI)

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