Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula Youth T-Shirt

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“'Cosmic Cliffs' in the Carina Nebula"

“Cosmic Cliffs” in the Carina Nebula (NIRCam Image)

Release Date: July 12, 2022

About This Image:

What looks much like craggy mountains on a moonlit evening is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals previously obscured areas of star birth.

Called the Cosmic Cliffs, the region is actually the edge of a gigantic, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, roughly 7,600 light-years away. The cavernous area has been carved from the nebula by the intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from extremely massive, hot, young stars located in the center of the bubble, above the area shown in this image. The high-energy radiation from these stars is sculpting the nebula’s wall by slowly eroding it away.

NIRCam – with its crisp resolution a...

Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado USA, I'm a nature and landscape photographer primarily focused on the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Working in both color and black and white, I use a variety of photographic techniques to capture the many moods of mountain landscapes, from intimate perspectives to grand vistas, in locations both iconic and seldom-visited. My goal is to produce images with vivid colors, high dynamic range, and compelling compositions. Longer lens focal lengths are preferred to bring the viewer closer into the scene, requiring every available pixel to help tell the story. Thank you for visiting the site. I hope you enjoy my work. "The mountains are calling and I must go." -- John Muir