An infrared/visible comparison view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula

This image compares infrared and visible views of the Cat’s Paw Nebula. The visible light image (right) was taken with the Wide Field Imager on the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla in Chile (eso1003). The new infrared image (left) was taken with the VISTA telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. In the infrared, the dust that obscures many stars becomes nearly transparent, revealing a whole host of new stars that are otherwise invisible.