The James Webb Space Telescope has produced a detailed infrared view of a small, dense cloud inside the Carina Nebula, revealing a structure nicknamed the “Treasure Chest.”
The image, captured on 6 August 2026, shows part of one of the Milky Way’s best-known star-forming regions. The feature is classified as a cometary globule—an isolated concentration of gas and dust with a compact, dark head and a long tail shaped by radiation and stellar winds in its surroundings.
Infrared observations allow Webb to examine material that can be difficult to see at visible wavelengths, helping researchers study how stars form within dusty environments. The Carina Nebula is also home to the “Cosmic Cliffs,” another region previously imaged by Webb.
The image was credited to ESA/Webb, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, with M. Reiter and acknowledgement to M. H. Özsaraç.