The Carina Nebula in Three Colors
Explanation:
Stars, like people, do not always
go gentle into that good night.
The above
Carina Nebula, also known as the
Keyhole Nebula and
NGC 3372, results from dying star
Eta Carinae's violently casting off
dust and
gas
during its final centuries.
Eta Carinae,
one of the most luminous stars known,
is visible as the
bright star near the center of the nebula.
The
above picture was taken in three distinct colors of light:
blue light as emitted from hot
oxygen,
green light as emitted by warm
hydrogen,
and red light as emitted by cool
sulfur.
Eta Carinae
faded from being one of the
brightest stars in the sky during the 1800s, but is still
visible with binoculars in southern skies towards the
constellation of
Carina.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
