
NASA ‘claws back’ thick dust layer in Cat’s Claw Nebula
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NASA ‘claws back’ thick dust layer in Cat’s Claw Nebula
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed thick, dusty layers of the Cat’s Claw Nebula. The region of star formation is about 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. The discovery is the result of years of research in this part of space and will inform future research.
“It’s the cat’s meow,” NASA said in a release.
NASA focused the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera on a single “toe bean” within a subset of toe beans in the nebula, which appear to contain young stars shaping the surrounding gas and dust in the star-forming region.
The discovery is the result of years of research in this part of space.
“Three years into its mission, Webb continues to deliver on its design — revealing previously hidden aspects of the universe, from the star formation process to some of the earliest galaxies,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Domagal-Goldman added that the discovery will inform future research in this largely unexplored nebular region and create more research opportunities for scientists as they pursue an understanding of dark matter, search for life in other parts of the solar system or seek to find Earth-like planets.
“The questions Webb has raised are just as exciting as the answers it’s giving us,” he continued.
The toe bean discovery will also give researchers an opportunity to study the turbulent cloud-to-star formation process.
Source: https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2025/07/10/webb-claws-back-dust-in-cat-nebula/3971752201757/