The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the Cat's Paw Nebula to mark its third year of operation.
Located 4,000 light-years away in the Scorpius constellation, this nebula is an active star-forming region that looks like a cat's paw print.
Using its powerful near-infrared camera, Webb focused on one "toe bean" of the paw print, revealing smaller circular structures filled with gas, dust, and newly formed stars. The image shows bright blue glowing areas where young, massive stars are actively shaping their environment by pushing away nearby gas and dust.
These energetic young stars will eventually stop new stars from forming in the region. This new detailed view helps scientists better understand how clouds of gas and dust transform into stars.