Cosmic Cliffs

The edge of a cavity blown in the cloud by hot young stars above it, in one of Webb's first images (July 2022). The tallest peaks are about seven light-years high.

The picture hangs at that distance facing Earth, as large as it is on the sky; how deep the object is cannot be seen, so it is flat.

Taken by

James Webb Space Telescope

Picture spans

about 16 ly

From the Sun

7,600 light-years

RA / Dec

159.21° / -58.62°

Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

NGC 3324 is an open cluster in the southern constellation of Carina, located northwest of the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) at a distance of 9,100 ly (2,800 pc) from Earth. It is closely associated with the emission nebula IC 2599, also known as Gum 31. The two are often confused as a single object, and together have been nicknamed the "Gabriela Mistral Nebula" due to its resemblance to the Chilean poet.

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