Four translucent dust shells expand away from three central stars that appear as a single pinpoint of light. Bright, arcing ridges partially outline the shells. The innermost shell is smallest, like the size of a thumbprint, and brightest. It is yellow and forms a backward lowercase e. A line at 3 o’clock swoops to the bottom-left in an arc that ends at 8 o’clock. A second line at 9 o’clock dips down to start, but then goes straight up, angling around the top. The second shell, about the size of a fist, is orange and has looser arcs. One appears from 4 to 7 o’clock. A brighter orange triangle appears from 10 to 12 o’clock. Its outer edges overlap, forming a rough circle. The third shell extends almost to the edges and is semi-translucent red, with similar arcs and a darker red line that also forms a faint triangle at top left. The widest shell is faintest and at the edges. A semi-transparent blue appears across the scene. A larger foreground star with spikes is at bottom left, and more distant stars and galaxies are strewn across the black expanse of space.
Four translucent dust shells expand away from three central stars that appear as a single pinpoint of light. Bright, arcing ridges partially outline the shells. The innermost shell is smallest, like the size of a thumbprint, and brightest. It is yellow and forms a backward lowercase e. A line at 3 o’clock swoops to the bottom-left in an arc that ends at 8 o’clock. A second line at 9 o’clock dips down to start, but then goes straight up, angling around the top. The second shell, about the size of a fist, is orange and has looser arcs. One appears from 4 to 7 o’clock. A brighter orange triangle appears from 10 to 12 o’clock. Its outer edges overlap, forming a rough circle. The third shell extends almost to the edges and is semi-translucent red, with similar arcs and a darker red line that also forms a faint triangle at top left. The widest shell is faintest and at the edges. A semi-transparent blue appears across the scene. A larger foreground star with spikes is at bottom left, and more distant stars and galaxies are strewn across the black expanse of space.
Four translucent dust shells expand away from three central stars that appear as a single pinpoint of light. Bright, arcing ridges partially outline the shells. The innermost shell is smallest, like the size of a thumbprint, and brightest. It is yellow and forms a backward lowercase e. A line at 3 o’clock swoops to the bottom-left in an arc that ends at 8 o’clock. A second line at 9 o’clock dips down to start, but then goes straight up, angling around the top. The second shell, about the size of a fist, is orange and has looser arcs. One appears from 4 to 7 o’clock. A brighter orange triangle appears from 10 to 12 o’clock. Its outer edges overlap, forming a rough circle. The third shell extends almost to the edges and is semi-translucent red, with similar arcs and a darker red line that also forms a faint triangle at top left. The widest shell is faintest and at the edges. A semi-transparent blue appears across the scene. A larger foreground star with spikes is at bottom left, and more distant stars and galaxies are strewn across the black expanse of space.
Four translucent dust shells expand away from three central stars that appear as a single pinpoint of light. Bright, arcing ridges partially outline the shells. The innermost shell is smallest, like the size of a thumbprint, and brightest. It is yellow and forms a backward lowercase e. A line at 3 o’clock swoops to the bottom-left in an arc that ends at 8 o’clock. A second line at 9 o’clock dips down to start, but then goes straight up, angling around the top. The second shell, about the size of a fist, is orange and has looser arcs. One appears from 4 to 7 o’clock. A brighter orange triangle appears from 10 to 12 o’clock. Its outer edges overlap, forming a rough circle. The third shell extends almost to the edges and is semi-translucent red, with similar arcs and a darker red line that also forms a faint triangle at top left. The widest shell is faintest and at the edges. A semi-transparent blue appears across the scene. A larger foreground star with spikes is at bottom left, and more distant stars and galaxies are strewn across the black expanse of space.
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Arp 142, two interacting galaxies, observed in near- and mid-infrared light. At left is NGC 2937, nicknamed the Egg. Its center is brighter and whiter. There are six diffraction spikes atop its gauzy blue layers. At right is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin. Its beak-like region points toward and above the Egg. Where the eye would be is a small, opaque yellow spiral. The Penguin’s distorted arms and orange dust lanes from the bird’s beak, back, and tail. The tail is wide and layered, like a beta fish’s tail. A semi-transparent blue hue traces the Penguin and extends from the galaxy, creating an upside-down U over top of both galaxies. At top right is another galaxy seen from the side, pointing roughly at a 45-degree angle. It is largely light blue. Its length appears approximately as long as the Egg’s height. One foreground star with large, bright blue diffraction spikes appears over top of the galaxy and another near it. The entire black background is filled with tiny, extremely distant galaxies.
Arp 142, two interacting galaxies, observed in near- and mid-infrared light. At left is NGC 2937, nicknamed the Egg. Its center is brighter and whiter. There are six diffraction spikes atop its gauzy blue layers. At right is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin. Its beak-like region points toward and above the Egg. Where the eye would be is a small, opaque yellow spiral. The Penguin’s distorted arms and orange dust lanes from the bird’s beak, back, and tail. The tail is wide and layered, like a beta fish’s tail. A semi-transparent blue hue traces the Penguin and extends from the galaxy, creating an upside-down U over top of both galaxies. At top right is another galaxy seen from the side, pointing roughly at a 45-degree angle. It is largely light blue. Its length appears approximately as long as the Egg’s height. One foreground star with large, bright blue diffraction spikes appears over top of the galaxy and another near it. The entire black background is filled with tiny, extremely distant galaxies.
Arp 142, two interacting galaxies, observed in near- and mid-infrared light. At left is NGC 2937, nicknamed the Egg. Its center is brighter and whiter. There are six diffraction spikes atop its gauzy blue layers. At right is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin. Its beak-like region points toward and above the Egg. Where the eye would be is a small, opaque yellow spiral. The Penguin’s distorted arms and orange dust lanes from the bird’s beak, back, and tail. The tail is wide and layered, like a beta fish’s tail. A semi-transparent blue hue traces the Penguin and extends from the galaxy, creating an upside-down U over top of both galaxies. At top right is another galaxy seen from the side, pointing roughly at a 45-degree angle. It is largely light blue. Its length appears approximately as long as the Egg’s height. One foreground star with large, bright blue diffraction spikes appears over top of the galaxy and another near it. The entire black background is filled with tiny, extremely distant galaxies.
Arp 142, two interacting galaxies, observed in near- and mid-infrared light. At left is NGC 2937, nicknamed the Egg. Its center is brighter and whiter. There are six diffraction spikes atop its gauzy blue layers. At right is NGC 2936, nicknamed the Penguin. Its beak-like region points toward and above the Egg. Where the eye would be is a small, opaque yellow spiral. The Penguin’s distorted arms and orange dust lanes from the bird’s beak, back, and tail. The tail is wide and layered, like a beta fish’s tail. A semi-transparent blue hue traces the Penguin and extends from the galaxy, creating an upside-down U over top of both galaxies. At top right is another galaxy seen from the side, pointing roughly at a 45-degree angle. It is largely light blue. Its length appears approximately as long as the Egg’s height. One foreground star with large, bright blue diffraction spikes appears over top of the galaxy and another near it. The entire black background is filled with tiny, extremely distant galaxies.
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Three vertically stacked astronomical photographs compare the same section of The Carina Nebula (catalogued as NGC 3372), each labeled with the telescope or observatory that captured it.

Top: Labeled "La Silla Observatory," the nebula appears in muted brownish-orange tones, with many stars visible but slightly blurred. A red rectangle highlights a small protruding formation at the nebula’s edge, and a zoomed-in circular inset to the right shows this area with low detail and a soft, hazy outline.

Middle: Labeled "Hubble Telescope," the nebula displays more vivid colors, including blues, purples, and reds. The same protruding formation is highlighted by a red rectangle, and the zoomed-in inset shows more distinct edges and texture compared to the La Silla image.

Bottom: Labeled "James Webb," the nebula appears in sharper detail with golden-brown ridges against a deep blue star-filled background. The same protrusion is marked with a red rectangle, and the zoomed-in inset shows the most clarity, revealing fine structure and a greater number of small stars in the background.

Sources: NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope; Hubble Space Telescope; ESO La Silla Observatory
Three vertically stacked astronomical photographs compare the same section of The Carina Nebula (catalogued as NGC 3372), each labeled with the telescope or observatory that captured it. Top: Labeled "La Silla Observatory," the nebula appears in muted brownish-orange tones, with many stars visible but slightly blurred. A red rectangle highlights a small protruding formation at the nebula’s edge, and a zoomed-in circular inset to the right shows this area with low detail and a soft, hazy outline. Middle: Labeled "Hubble Telescope," the nebula displays more vivid colors, including blues, purples, and reds. The same protruding formation is highlighted by a red rectangle, and the zoomed-in inset shows more distinct edges and texture compared to the La Silla image. Bottom: Labeled "James Webb," the nebula appears in sharper detail with golden-brown ridges against a deep blue star-filled background. The same protrusion is marked with a red rectangle, and the zoomed-in inset shows the most clarity, revealing fine structure and a greater number of small stars in the background. Sources: NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope; Hubble Space Telescope; ESO La Silla Observatory
Three vertically stacked astronomical photographs compare the same section of The Carina Nebula (catalogued as NGC 3372), each labeled with the telescope or observatory that captured it.

Top: Labeled "La Silla Observatory," the nebula appears in muted brownish-orange tones, with many stars visible but slightly blurred. A red rectangle highlights a small protruding formation at the nebula’s edge, and a zoomed-in circular inset to the right shows this area with low detail and a soft, hazy outline.

Middle: Labeled "Hubble Telescope," the nebula displays more vivid colors, including blues, purples, and reds. The same protruding formation is highlighted by a red rectangle, and the zoomed-in inset shows more distinct edges and texture compared to the La Silla image.

Bottom: Labeled "James Webb," the nebula appears in sharper detail with golden-brown ridges against a deep blue star-filled background. The same protrusion is marked with a red rectangle, and the zoomed-in inset shows the most clarity, revealing fine structure and a greater number of small stars in the background.

Sources: NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope; Hubble Space Telescope; ESO La Silla Observatory
Three vertically stacked astronomical photographs compare the same section of The Carina Nebula (catalogued as NGC 3372), each labeled with the telescope or observatory that captured it. Top: Labeled "La Silla Observatory," the nebula appears in muted brownish-orange tones, with many stars visible but slightly blurred. A red rectangle highlights a small protruding formation at the nebula’s edge, and a zoomed-in circular inset to the right shows this area with low detail and a soft, hazy outline. Middle: Labeled "Hubble Telescope," the nebula displays more vivid colors, including blues, purples, and reds. The same protruding formation is highlighted by a red rectangle, and the zoomed-in inset shows more distinct edges and texture compared to the La Silla image. Bottom: Labeled "James Webb," the nebula appears in sharper detail with golden-brown ridges against a deep blue star-filled background. The same protrusion is marked with a red rectangle, and the zoomed-in inset shows the most clarity, revealing fine structure and a greater number of small stars in the background. Sources: NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope; Hubble Space Telescope; ESO La Silla Observatory