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Credit & Copyright: Carlos Taylor
Explanation:
The Great Carina Nebula
is home to strange stars and iconic nebulas.
Named for its
home constellation, the huge star-forming region is larger and brighter than
the
Great Orion Nebula
but less well known because it is so far south -- and because so
much of humanity lives so far north.
The featured image
shows in great detail the northernmost part of the
Carina Nebula.
On the bottom left is the
Gabriela Mistral
Nebula consisting of an
emission nebula
of glowing gas (IC 2599) surrounding the small open cluster of stars
(NGC 3324).
Above the image center is the larger star cluster
NGC 3293,
while to its right is the emission nebula Loden 153.
The most famous occupant of the
Carina Nebula,
however, is not shown.
Off the image to the lower right is the bright, erratic, and doomed star known
as
Eta Carinae --
a star once
one of the brightest stars in the sky and now predicted to explode in a
supernova sometime in the next few million years.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: carina nebula
Publications with words: carina nebula
See also: