Sculpting the South Pillar
Explanation:
Eta Carinae,
one of the most massive and unstable stars in
the Milky Way Galaxy, has a profound affect on its
environment.
Found in the
the South Pillar region
of the Carina Nebula,
these fantastic pillars
of glowing dust and gas with embedded
newborn stars were sculpted by the intense wind and radiation
from Eta Carinae and other massive stars.
Glowing brightly in planet Earth's southern sky, the expansive
Eta Carinae Nebula
is a mere 10,000 light-years distant.
Still, this remarkable cosmic vista is largely obscured
by nebular dust and only revealed here in penetrating
infrared light
by the
Spitzer Space Telescope.
Eta Carinae itself is off the top left of the false-color image,
with the bright-tipped
dust pillars
pointing suggestively toward the
massive star's position.
The Spitzer image spans almost 200 light-years at the distance
of Eta Carinae.
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.
