Nebula NGC 3324 in Carina | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory & Webb

Nebula NGC 3324 in Carina | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory & Webb

Astronomers nicknamed this region of star formation the “Cosmic Cliffs.” It is found in the nearby Carina Nebula. X-rays from young stars in two clusters are detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. X-rays from Chandra (purple); infrared from Webb (yellow, green, cyan, and blue)

Distance: 7,500 light years

This composite image features two star clusters, viewed through a churning tunnel of golden cloud. The cloud creates a border around the entire image, like a thick swirling smoke ring. Beyond it, in the open center, is a vast field of neon purple specks. These specks are young stars observed by Chandra. Within the central field, two cluster groupings are suggested by separate swirls of faint, steel blue mist. One sits near our upper right. The other is near the bottom left, partially obscured by the golden yellow ring cloud.

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Ludwig Maximilian Univ./T. Preibisch et al.
Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
Release Date: Dec. 7, 2024

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