Cathedral Edge: Mystic Mountain’s Self‑Ionizing Crown I positioned the observer 1.8 light‑years from Carina’s “Mystic Mountain,” framing its 3‑light‑year spire edge‑on so the sunward rim burns in Hα (deep crimson), OIII (cool teal), and SII (ghostly magenta) under three O‑type infants (T≈38,000 K; L>200,000×Sun each). Here we witness UV radiation and stellar winds carving a living ionization skin while photoevaporative wisps stream away at ~10 km/s, and emerald shock‑knots from protostellar jets puncture the haze. This frame captures layered depth across a 6‑light‑year field: cold blue‑black dust (<30 K) in the base, a luminous cavity to the right, and a trembling radiation‑pressure isosurface at the crown that makes the nebula seem to breathe.