What looks much like craggy mountains on a moonlit evening is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals previously obscured areas of star birth.

Called the Cosmic Cliffs, the region is actually the edge of a gigantic, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, roughly 7,600 light-years away. The cavernous area has been carved from the nebula by the intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from extremely massive, hot, young stars located in the center of the bubble, above the area shown in this image. The high-energy radiation from these stars is sculpting the nebula’s wall by slowly eroding it away.

NIRCam – with its crisp resolution and unparalleled sensitivity – unveils hundreds of previously hidden stars, and even numerous background galaxies. Several prominent features in this image are described below.

• The “steam” that appears to rise from the celestial “mountains” is actually hot, ionized gas and hot dust streaming away from the nebula due to intense, ultraviolet radiation.
• Dramatic pillars rise above the glowing wall of gas, resisting the blistering ultraviolet radiation from the young stars.
• Bubbles and cavities are being blown by the intense radiation and stellar winds of newborn stars.
• Protostellar jets and outflows, which appear in gold, shoot from dust-enshrouded, nascent stars.
• A “blow-out” erupts at the top-center of the ridge, spewing gas and dust into the interstellar medium.
• An unusual “arch” appears, looking like a bent-over cylinder.

This period of very early star formation is difficult to capture because, for an individual star, it lasts only about 50,000 to 100,000 years – but Webb’s extreme sensitivity and exquisite spatial resolution have chronicled this rare event.

Located roughly 7,600 light-years away, NGC 3324 was first catalogued by James Dunlop in 1826. Visible from the Southern Hemisphere, it is located at the northwest corner of the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), which resides in the constellation Carina. The Carina Nebula is home to the Keyhole Nebula and the active, unstable supergiant star called Eta Carinae.

NIRCam was built by a team at the University of Arizona and Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center.

Taken from wooden boat, during a romantic sailing. Truly an incredible place for sightseeing. Phi Phi Islands, Thailand 2018

Adobe Lightroom 5.6.

Nikon D810, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED.

Photo Settings: 34mm, f/4, 1/800 second, ISO 100.

A 3-light-year-long pillar, bathed in the glow of light from hot, massive stars to the top of the image. Scorching radiation and fast winds (streams of charged particles) from these stars are sculpting the pillar and causing new stars to form within it. Streamers of gas and dust can be seen flowing off the top of the structure.

Nestled inside this dense structure are fledgling stars. They cannot be seen in this image because they are hidden by a wall of gas and dust. Although the stars themselves are invisible, one of them is providing evidence of its existence. Thin puffs of material can be seen traveling to the left and to the right of a dark notch in the center of the pillar. The matter is part of a jet produced by a young star. Farther away, on the left, the jet is visible as a grouping of small, wispy clouds. A few small clouds are visible at a similar distance on the right side of the jet. Astronomers estimate that the jet is moving at speeds of up to 850,000 miles an hour. The jet's total length is about 10 light-years.

Composed of gas and dust, the pillar resides in a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

Top view of the Pag city located on Pag island, Croatia

Adobe Lightroom CC.

Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9.

Photo Settings: 12mm, f/7, 1/13 second, ISO 200.

Unlike most visitors, I find Zion National Park most magical during low season in the winter. It rains . . . a lot, but the low hanging clouds against the bright orange rocks and abundant waterfalls make for the most incredible captures. I hope this shares a slice of what a truly special place Zion is.

Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM.

Map: 37.2750, -112.9445

Lavender Fields in full bloom, captured on the 1st sunrise of 2019.

@DestinSparks ©

Phase One IQ3 100MP, Schneider Kreuznach 80mm LS f/2.8.

Photo Settings: 80mm, f/16, 1 second, ISO 50.

Sunset at Grand Teton National Park. I took this photo in June, 2018. Shot from the Heart Six Ranch.

Adobe Lightroom.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM.

Photo Settings: 135mm, f/4, 1/500 second, ISO 400.

This is a little waterfall hidden amongst the windy roads of Galicia, North Spain, named Mazo De Meredo. Despite visiting in July, there was not one other person here so it was perfect for getting some long exposure shots. The sounds of running water and nature in the surrounding woods was amazing.

Adobe Lightroom.

Nikon D5100.

Map: 43.4382, -6.9947

Taken from Roppongi Hills, Tokyo.

Tokyo Tower is the second tallest structure in Japan.

Apple Aperture, Color Efex Pro.

Nikon D7000.

Photo Settings: 46mm, f/8, ISO 100.

Sunrise at Grand Teton National Park. I took this photo in June, 2018.

Location: Schwabacher's Landing.

Adobe Lightroom.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM.

Photo Settings: 28mm, f/16, 1/2 second, ISO 100.