Cathedral Pillar Carved by Light, Two Light-Years Close I positioned the observer 2 light-years from Carina’s central pillar, a 10-light-year buttress of H2 and dust, to watch 40,000 K O-stars (≈10^6 L☉ each) backlight its scalloped face. Here we witness ionization fronts at 8,000–12,000 K chewing inward at ~2 km/s, UV-driven shocks bowing at ~100 km/s, and amber protostars launching 200 km/s jets through shadowed filaments while a 30 K dust basin reflects faint blue. This frame captures gold H-alpha, teal [O III], and violet UV arcs playing across the wall as a 1 m silicate foil fragment throws knife-edge caustics upward—scale made palpable by light that sculpts stone from within.