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Credit & Copyright: Peter Ward (Barden Ridge Observatory)
Explanation:
A jewel of the southern sky, the
Great
Carina Nebula, also known as NGC 3372, spans over 300 light-years,
one of our galaxy's largest star forming
regions.
Like the smaller, more northerly
Great Orion Nebula, the
Carina Nebula is easily visible to the
unaided eye, though at a distance of 7,500
light-years it is some 5 times farther away.
This
gorgeous telescopic close-up
reveals remarkable details of the region's central glowing filaments of
interstellar gas
and obscuring cosmic dust clouds.
The field of view is over 50 light-years across.
The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars, including
the stars of open cluster
Trumpler 14
(below and right of center) and the still enigmatic variable
Eta Carinae, a
star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun.
Eta Carinae is the brightest star, seen here
just above
the dusty Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324).
While Eta Carinae itself maybe on the verge of a supernova explosion,
X-ray images indicate that the Great Carina Nebula
has been a veritable
supernova
factory.
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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: Eta Carinae
Publications with words: Eta Carinae
See also: