Cosmic Cliffs Carina Nebula Space Webb Telescope Postcard

In the heart of the Carina Nebula, 7,600 light-years away, lies a scene of breathtaking cosmic violence. Here, the edge of a gigantic gaseous cavity rears up like a monstrous wall, its surface sculpted into a fantastical landscape of peaks and valleys. These are the aptly named "Cosmic Cliffs," not cliffs of rock as we know them, but colossal structures of gas and dust constantly bombarded by the fury of young, unseen stars. Intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds blast away at the towering formations, slowly eroding them like a sculptor working with cosmic clay. But amidst the destruction, creation fights back. Nestled within the sculpted pillars and tendrils, new stars ignite, their fiery birthplaces marked by a vibrant tapestry of colors. The once-opaque dust clouds are pierced by the keen infrared eye of the James Webb Telescope, revealing a dynamic dance between the raw power of stellar winds and the delicate tendrils of nascent stars. The "Cosmic Cliffs" stand as a testament to the ongoing drama of the cosmos, where destruction and creation are forever intertwined. -This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA.