Astronomy Picture of the Day |
APOD: 2024 April 19 - The Great Carina Nebula
Explanation:
A jewel of the southern sky,
the Great
Carina Nebula is more modestly known as NGC 3372.
One of our
Galaxy's
largest star forming regions, it spans over 300 light-years.
Like the smaller, more northerly
Great Orion Nebula, the
Carina Nebula is easily visible to the
unaided eye.
But at a distance of 7,500 light-years
it lies some 5 times farther away.
This stunning telescopic view reveals
remarkable details of the region's glowing filaments of
interstellar gas
and
obscuring cosmic dust clouds.
The
Carina Nebula
is home to young, extremely massive stars, including
the still enigmatic variable Eta Carinae, a
star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun.
Eta Carinae
is the bright star above the central dark notch in
this field and left of the
dusty Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324).
APOD: 2024 February 5 – In the Core of the Carina Nebula
Explanation:
What's happening in the core of the Carina Nebula?
Stars are forming, dying, and leaving an
impressive tapestry of dark dusty filaments.
The entire
Carina Nebula, cataloged as NGC 3372, spans over 300
light years
and lies about 8,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
The nebula is composed predominantly of
hydrogen gas, which
emits the
pervasive red and orange glows seen mostly in the center of this
highly detailed
featured image.
The blue glow around the edges is
created primarily
by a trace amount of glowing
oxygen.
Young and massive stars located in the nebula's center
expel dust when they explode in supernovas.
Eta Carinae,
the most energetic star in the nebula's center,
was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then
faded dramatically.
APOD: 2023 July 9 – Doomed Star Eta Carinae
Explanation:
Eta Carinae may be about to explode.
But no one knows when - it may be
next year, it may be one million years from now.
Eta Carinae's mass - about
100 times greater than our Sun -
makes it an excellent candidate for a full blown supernova.
Historical records do show that about 170 years ago Eta Carinae underwent an unusual outburst
that made it one of the brightest stars in the southern sky.
Eta Carinae, in the
Keyhole Nebula, is the only
star currently
thought to emit natural LASER light.
This featured image brings out details in the
unusual nebula that surrounds
this rogue star.
Diffraction spikes, caused by the telescope, are visible as bright multi-colored streaks emanating from Eta Carinae's center.
Two distinct lobes of the
Homunculus Nebula encompass the
hot central region, while some strange radial streaks are visible in red extending toward the image right.
The lobes are
filled
with lanes of gas and
dust which absorb the blue and
ultraviolet light emitted near the center.
The streaks, however, remain unexplained.
APOD: 2023 May 1 – Carina Nebula North
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.
APOD: 2022 April 25 - The Great Nebula in Carina
Explanation:
In one of the brightest parts of
Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the
oddest things occur.
NGC 3372, known as the
Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebulas.
The Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324),
the bright structure just below
the image
center, houses several of these massive stars.
The entire Carina Nebula, captured here, spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
Eta Carinae, the
most energetic star
in the nebula,
was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but
then faded dramatically.
While Eta Carinae itself maybe on the verge of a supernova explosion,
X-ray
images indicate that much of the
Great Nebula in Carina has been a veritable
supernova
factory.
APOD: 2022 January 31 - Carina Nebula North
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 northern-most part of the
Carina Nebula.
Visible nebulas include the semi-circular filaments surrounding the active
star Wolf-Rayet 23 (WR23) on the far left.
Just left of center 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 relatively faint emission nebula designated 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 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.
APOD: 2021 May 26 - The Outburst Clouds of Star AG Car
Explanation:
What created these unusual clouds?
At the center of this
2021 Hubble image, processed by Judy Schmidt, sits
AG Carinae,
a supergiant star located about 20,000 light-years away
in the southern constellation
Carina.
The star's emitted power is over a million times that of the Sun, making
AG Carinae
one of the most luminous stars in our
Milky Way galaxy.
AG Carinae and its neighbor
Eta Carinae
belong to the scarce
Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) class of stars, known for their rare but violent eruptions.
The nebula that surrounds
AG Car is interpreted as a remnant of one or more such
outbursts.
This nebula measures 5
light-years across,
is estimated to contain about 10
solar masses of gas,
and to be at least 10,000 years old.
This Hubble image, taken to commemorate
Hubble's 31st
launch
anniversary,
is the first to capture the whole nebula, offering a
new perspective on its structure and dust content.
The LBVs
represent a late and
short stage
in the lives of some
supergiant stars,
but explaining their restlessness remains a
challenge to
humanity's understanding of
how massive stars work.
APOD: 2021 May 2 - Clouds of the Carina Nebula
Explanation:
What forms lurk in the mists of the Carina Nebula?
The dark ominous figures are actually
molecular clouds,
knots of molecular gas and
dust so thick they have become
opaque.
In comparison, however,
these clouds are typically much less dense than
Earth's atmosphere.
Featured here is a detailed image of the core of the
Carina Nebula, a part where both dark and colorful
clouds of gas and dust are particularly prominent.
The image was captured in mid-2016 from
Siding Spring Observatory in
Australia.
Although the nebula is predominantly composed of
hydrogen gas -- here colored green,
the image was assigned colors so that light emitted by trace amounts of
sulfur and
oxygen
appear red and blue, respectively.
The entire
Carina Nebula,
cataloged as NGC 3372, spans over 300
light years
and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
Eta Carinae,
the most energetic star in the nebula,
was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then
faded dramatically.
APOD: 2021 January 1 - Galaxies and the South Celestial Pole
Explanation:
The South Celestial Pole
is easy to spot in star trail images of the southern sky.
The extension of Earth's axis of rotation to the south, it's
at the center of all the southern star trail arcs.
In this starry panorama
streching about 60 degrees across deep southern skies
the South Celestial Pole is somewhere near the middle though,
flanked by bright galaxies and southern celestial gems.
Across the top of the frame are the stars and nebulae along the plane
of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
Gamma Crucis, a yellowish giant star
heads the Southern Cross near top
center, with the dark expanse of the Coalsack nebula tucked under the
cross arm on the left.
Eta Carinae and the reddish glow of the Great Carina Nebula shine along
the galactic plane near the right edge.
At the bottom are the Large and Small Magellanic clouds,
external galaxies
in their own right and satellites of the mighty Milky Way.
A line from Gamma Crucis through the blue star at the bottom of the
southern cross, Alpha Crucis, points toward the South Celestial Pole,
but where exactly is it?
Just look
for south pole star
Sigma Octantis.
Analog to Polaris the north pole star,
Sigma Octantis is little over one degree fom the
the South Celestial pole.
APOD: 2020 May 22 - South of Carina
Explanation:
With natal dust clouds in silhouette against glowing atomic gas,
this colorful and chaotic vista lies within one of the
largest star forming regions in the
Milky Way galaxy, the Great Carina Nebula.
The telescopic close-up
frames a field of view about 80 light-years
across, a little south and east of Eta Carinae, the nebula's
most energetic and enigmatic star.
Captured under suburban skies improved during national restrictions,
a composite of narrowband image data was used to create the
final image.
In it, characteristic emission from the nebula's
ionized sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms is mapped to
red, green, and blue hues,
a color palette also popular in Hubble Space Telescope images.
The celestial landscape
of bright ridges of emission bordered by
cool, obscuring dust lies about 7,500 light-years away toward
the southern constellation Carina.
APOD: 2020 May 5 - Carina in Perspective
Explanation:
You need to be in the south, looking south, to see such a sky.
And only then if you're lucky.
Just above the picturesque tree is the impressive
Carina Nebula,
one of the few nebulas in the sky that is visible to the unaided eye.
The featured image had to be taken from a very dark location to capture the
Carina Nebula
with such perspective and so near the horizon.
The Great Nebula in Carina,
cataloged as NGC 3372, is home to the wildly variable star
Eta Carinae
that sometimes flares to become one of the brightest
stars in the sky.
Above Carina is
IC 2944, the
Running Chicken Nebula, a nebula
that not only looks like a chicken, but contains
impressive dark knots of dust.
Above
these red-glowing
emission nebulas are the bright stars of the
Southern Cross,
while on the upper left of the image is the dark
Coalsack Nebula.
This image was composed from six consecutive exposures
taken last summer from
Padre Bernardo,
Goiás,
Brazil.
Even with careful planning,
the astrophotographer
felt lucky to get this shot because clouds --
some still visible near the horizon -- kept getting in the way.
APOD: 2020 February 15 - Carina Nebula Close Up
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 in
a field of view nearly 20 light-years across.
The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars, including
the still enigmatic and violently variable
Eta Carinae, a
star system with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun.
In the processed composite of space and ground-based image data
a dusty, two-lobed Homunculus Nebula
appears to surround Eta Carinae itself just
below and left of center.
While Eta Carinae is likely on the verge of a supernova explosion,
X-ray images indicate that the Great Carina Nebula
has been a veritable
supernova
factory.
APOD: 2019 May 7 - The Great Nebula in Carina
Explanation:
What's happening in the center of the Carina Nebula?
Stars are forming, dying, and leaving an
impressive tapestry of dark dusty filaments.
The entire
Carina Nebula, cataloged as NGC 3372, spans over 300
light years
and lies about 8,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
The nebula is composed predominantly of
hydrogen gas, which
emits the pervasive red glow seen in this
highly detailed featured image.
The blue glow in the center is created by a trace amount of glowing
oxygen.
Young and massive stars located in the nebula's center
expel dust when they explode in supernovae.
Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula's center,
was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then
faded dramatically.
APOD: 2019 April 26 - Southern Cross to Eta Carinae
Explanation:
Tracking along
the southern Milky Way this beautiful celestial
mosaic was recorded under dark Brazilian skies.
Spanning some 20 degrees it actually starts with the dark expanse of
the
Coalsack nebula at the lower left, tucked under an arm of the
Southern Cross.
That compact constellation is topped by bright yellowish
Gamma Crucis,
a cool giant star a mere 88 light-years distant.
A line from Gamma Crucis through the blue
star at the bottom of the cross, Alpha Crucis,
points toward the South Celestial Pole.
Follow the Milky Way to the right and your gaze will sweep across IC 2948,
popularly known as the
Running Chicken nebula,
before it reaches
Eta Carinae and the Carina Nebula near the right edge of the frame.
About 200 light-years across, the Carina Nebula is a star forming region much
larger than the more northerly stellar nursery the Orion Nebula.
The Carina Nebula lies around 7,500 light-years from Earth along the plane
of the Milky Way.
APOD: 2018 December 27 - The Great Carina Nebula
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
(above and left 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, centered here just below
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.
APOD: 2017 June 13 - The Great Nebula in Carina
Explanation:
In one of the brightest parts of
Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur.
NGC 3372, known as the
Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebulas.
The Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324),
the bright structure just to the right of the image center,
houses several of these massive stars and has itself
changed its appearance.
The entire Carina Nebula,
captured here, spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
Eta Carinae, the
most energetic star
in the nebula,
was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but
then faded dramatically.
While Eta Carinae itself maybe on the verge of a supernova explosion,
X-ray
images indicate that much of the
Great Nebula in Carina has been a veritable
supernova
factory.
APOD: 2016 August 14 - The Keyhole in the Carina Nebula
Explanation:
The dark dusty Keyhole Nebula gets its name from its unusual shape.
The looping Keyhole, in this
featured classic image by the
Hubble Space Telescope, is a smaller region inside the larger
Carina Nebula.
Dramatic dark dust knots and complex features are sculpted by the
winds and radiation of the
Carina Nebula's
many massive and energetic stars.
In particular, the shape of the
dust cloud on the upper left of the
Keyhole Nebula
may stimulate the human imagination to appear similar to, for example, a
superhero flying through a cloud,
arm up, with a saved person in tow below.
The region lies
about 7,500 light-years away in planet Earth's southern sky.
The Keyhole Nebula was created by the dying star
Eta Carina ,
out of the frame, which is prone to violent outbursts during its
final centuries.
APOD: 2016 May 27 - The Great Carina Nebula
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.
APOD: 2016 May 16 - Clouds of the Carina Nebula
Explanation:
What forms lurk in the mists of the Carina Nebula?
The dark ominous figures are actually
molecular clouds,
knots of molecular gas and
dust so thick they have become
opaque.
In comparison, however,
these clouds are typically much less dense than
Earth's atmosphere.
Featured here is a detailed image of the core of the
Carina Nebula, a part where both dark and colorful
clouds of gas and dust are particularly prominent.
The image was captured last month from
Siding Spring Observatory in
Australia.
Although the nebula is predominantly composed of
hydrogen gas -- here colored green,
the image was assigned colors so that light emitted by trace amounts of
sulfur and
oxygen
appear red and blue, respectively.
The entire
Carina Nebula, cataloged as NGC 3372, spans over 300
light years
and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then
faded dramatically.
APOD: 2016 March 23 - The Great Nebula in Carina
Explanation:
In one of the brightest parts of
Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur.
NGC 3372, known as the
Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebulas.
The Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324),
the bright structure just above the image center,
houses several of these massive stars and has itself
changed its appearance.
The entire Carina Nebula
spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
Eta Carinae, the
most energetic star
in the nebula,
was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but
then faded dramatically.
Eta
Carinae is the brightest star
near the
image center,
just left of the Keyhole Nebula.
While Eta Carinae itself maybe on the verge of a supernova explosion,
X-ray
images indicate that much of the Great Carina Nebula has been a veritable
supernova
factory.
APOD: 2014 July 17 - 3D Homunculus Nebula
APOD: 2013 October 15 - The Great Carina Nebula
APOD: 2011 June 9 - The Great Carina Nebula
APOD: 2010 September 19 - Dark Clouds of the Carina Nebula
APOD: 2010 February 26 - Chasing Carina
APOD: 2009 May 24 - Carina Nebula Panorama from Hubble
APOD: 2009 February 16 - The Great Carina Nebula
APOD: 2008 December 1 - Massive Stars Resolved in the Carina Nebula
APOD: 2008 October 7 - Dust Mountains in the Carina Nebula
APOD: 2008 May 28 - Dark Clouds of the Carina Nebula
APOD: 2008 March 26 - The NGC 3576 Nebula
APOD: 2008 March 13 - Sculpting the South Pillar
APOD: 2007 October 27 - The Great Carina Nebula
APOD: 2007 April 25 - Carina Nebula Panorama from Hubble
APOD: 2006 March 16 - Eta and Keyhole in the Carina Nebula
APOD: 2005 June 2 - Sculpting the South Pillar
APOD: 2004 May 17 - NGC 3372: The Great Nebula in Carina
APOD: 2003 November 26 - The Turbulent Neighborhood of Eta Carina
APOD: 2001 July 17 - The Carina Nebula in Three Colors
APOD: 2001 June 17 - Colorful Clouds Of Carina
APOD: 2000 June 13 - The Keyhole Nebula in Infrared
APOD: July 19, 1999 - NGC 3372: The Great Nebula in Carina
APOD: May 23, 1999 - The Keyhole Nebula
APOD: January 12, 1998 - The Keyhole Nebula
APOD: October 14, 1996 - Bright Stars, Dim Galaxy
APOD: May 3, 1996 - The Milky Way Near the Southern Cross
APOD: April 4, 1996 - The Keyhole Nebula Near Eta Carinae
Explanation:
If
you're looking
for something
to print with that new
3D printer, try out a copy of the Homunculus Nebula.
The dusty, bipolar cosmic cloud is around 1 light-year across
but is slightly
scaled
down for printing to
about 1/4 light-nanosecond or 80 millimeters.
The full scale Homunculus surrounds Eta Carinae,
famously unstable
massive stars in a binary system
embedded in the extensive
Carina Nebula
about 7,500 light-years distant.
Between 1838 and 1845, Eta Carinae
underwent the Great Eruption becoming
the second brightest star in planet Earth's night sky
and ejecting the Homunculus Nebula.
The
new 3D model of the still expanding Homunculus
was created by
exploring
the nebula with the European Southern Observatory's
VLT/
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 portrait
reveals remarkable details of the region's glowing filaments of
interstellar gas
and obscuring cosmic dust clouds.
Wider than the Full Moon in
angular size,
the field of view stretches over 300 light-years across the nebula.
The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars, including
the still enigmatic variable
Eta Carinae, a
star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun.
Eta
Carinae is the brightest star
near the
image center,
just left of 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.
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 portrait
reveals remarkable details of the region's glowing filaments of
interstellar gas
and obscuring cosmic dust clouds.
Wider than the Full Moon in
angular size,
the field of view
stretches nearly 100 light-years across the nebula.
The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars, including
the still enigmatic variable
Eta Carinae, a
star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun.
Eta
Carinae is the brightest star
at
the left, near 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.
Explanation:
What dark forms lurk in the mists of the Carina Nebula?
These ominous figures are actually
molecular clouds,
knots of molecular gas and
dust so thick they have become
opaque.
In comparison, however,
these clouds are typically much less dense than
Earth's atmosphere.
Pictured above is part of the most detailed image of the
Carina Nebula ever taken, a part where dark
molecular clouds are particularly prominent.
The image has recently been
retaken and then re-colored based on light emitted by oxygen.
The entire
Carina Nebula
spans over 300
light years
and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
NGC 3372, known as the Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebula.
Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then
faded dramatically.
Wide-field annotated and zoomable versions of the larger image composite are also available.
Explanation:
A jewel of the southern sky,
the Great Carina Nebula, aka NGC 3372,
spans over 300 light-years.
Near the upper right of
this
expansive skyscape, it is
much larger than the more northerly
Orion Nebula.
In fact, the Carina Nebula is one of our
galaxy's largest star-forming
regions and home to young, extremely massive stars,
including the still
enigmatic variable Eta Carinae,
a star with well over 100 times the mass
of the Sun.
Nebulae near the center of the 10 degree wide field include
NGC 3576 and
NGC 3603.
Near center at the top of the frame is open star cluster
NGC 3532,
the Wishing Well Cluster.
More compact,
NGC 3766,
the Pearl Cluster, can be spotted at the left.
Anchoring the lower left of the cosmic canvas is another large
star-forming region,
IC 2948/2944 with embedded
star cluster Collinder 249.
That region is
popularly known as
the Running
Chicken Nebula.
Explanation:
In one of the brightest parts of
Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur.
NGC 3372, known as the
Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebulas.
Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula,
was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically.
The
Keyhole Nebula,
visible left of center, houses several of the most massive stars
known and has also changed its appearance.
The entire Carina Nebula
spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
Pictured above is the most detailed
image of the Carina Nebula ever taken.
The controlled color
image
is a composite of 48 high-resolution frames taken by the
Hubble Space Telescope
two years ago.
Wide-field
annotated and
zoomable image versions are also available.
Explanation:
A jewel of the southern sky,
the Great
Carina Nebula, aka 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
stunning telescopic view from the
2.2-meter ESO/MPG telescope La Silla Observatory
in Chile reveals remarkable details of the region's glowing filaments of
interstellar gas and
dark cosmic dust clouds.
The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars, including
the still enigmatic variable Eta Carinae, a star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun.
Eta Carinae
is the bright star left of the central dark notch in
this field and near the dusty Keyhole
Nebula (NGC 3324).
Explanation:
How massive can stars be?
Big, hefty stars live short violent lives that can profoundly affect their environments.
Isolating a massive star can be problematic, however, since what seems to be a single
bright star might actually turn out to be
several stars close together.
Such was the case for two of the brightest objects visible in the
open star cluster
Trumpler 16, located in the southern
Carina Nebula.
Upon close inspection by the
Hubble Space Telescope,
WR 25,
the brightest object in the
above image, was confirmed to consist of at least two separate stars.
Additionally, Tr16 -244, just to the upper right of
WR 25, was resolved for the first time to be at least three individual stars.
Even so, the brightest star in
WR 25 appears to be about 50 times the mass of our Sun, making it one of the more massive stars known.
Winds from these stars are likely significant contributers to the
large bubble that the star cluster sits in.
The Carina Nebula, home to unusually shaped
dust clouds and the famous
variable star
Eta Carina, lies about 7,500
light years
away toward the constellation of
Ship's Keel (Carina).
Explanation:
Bright young stars sometimes sculpt picturesque dust mountains soon after being born.
Created quite by accident, the energetic light and winds from these massive newborn stars burn away accumulations of
dark dust and
cool gas in a slow but persistent manner.
Such is the case in
NGC 3324,
a star forming region near the edge of
NGC 3372, the energetic and expansive Carina Nebula.
Pictured above, in scientifically assigned colors, is only a small part of
NGC 3324.
The Carina Nebula
itself is one of the largest star forming regions known and home to
Eta Carinae,
one of the most unstable and variable stars known.
The above image was created from archived Hubble Space Telescope data in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Hubble Heritage Project.
The Hubble Heritage Project has created, so far,
nearly 130 visually stunning images.
Explanation:
What dark forms lurk in the mists of the Carina Nebula?
These ominous figures are actually
molecular clouds,
knots of molecular gas and
dust so thick they have become
opaque.
In comparison, however, these clouds are typically much less dense than
Earth's atmosphere.
Pictured above is part of the most detailed image of the
Carina Nebula ever taken, a part where dark
molecular clouds are particularly prominent.
The entire
Carina Nebula
spans over 300
light years
and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
NGC 3372, known as the Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebula.
Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then
faded dramatically.
Wide-field
annotated and
zoomable versions of the larger image composite are also available.
Explanation:
An intriguing and beautiful nebula,
NGC 3576
drifts through the Sagittarius arm of our spiral
Milky Way Galaxy.
Within the region,
episodes
of star formation are thought to contribute
to the complex and suggestive shapes.
Powerful winds from the nebula's embedded,
young,
massive stars shape the looping filaments.
The dramatic
false-color
image also highlights the
contributions of hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen, energized by
intense ultraviolet radiation, to the nebular glow.
But the glow also
silhouettes dense clouds of dust
and gas.
For
example, the two condensing dark clouds near the
top of the picture offer potential sites for the formation
of new stars.
NGC 3576 itself is about 100 light-years across and
9,000 light-years away in the southern
constellation of Carina, not far on the sky from the famous
Eta Carinae Nebula.
Near the left edge of the picture is NGC 3603, a much larger
but more distant
star
forming region.
Explanation:
Eta Carinae, one of the most massive and unstable stars in
the Milky Way Galaxy, has a profound effect on its
environment.
Found in 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.
Explanation:
A jewel of the southern sky,
the Great
Carina Nebula, aka NGC 3372, spans over 300 light-years,
one of our galaxy's largest star
forming regions.
Like the smaller, more northerly
Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula
is easily visible to the naked eye, though at a distance of
7,500 light-years it is some 5 times farther away.
This
stunning telescopic view reveals remarkable details of the
region's glowing filaments of interstellar gas and dark
cosmic dust clouds.
The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars, including
the still enigmatic variable
Eta
Carinae, a star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun.
Eta Carinae
is the bright star left of the central dark notch
in this field and just below the dusty Keyhole
Nebula (NGC 3324).
Explanation:
In one of the brightest parts of
Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur.
NGC 3372, known as the
Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebula.
Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula,
was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically.
The
Keyhole Nebula,
visible left the center, houses several of the most massive stars
known and has also changed its appearance.
The entire Carina Nebula
spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina.
Pictured above is the most detailed
image of the Carina Nebula ever taken.
The controlled color
image
is a composite of 48 high-resolution frames taken by the
Hubble Space Telescope
and released to honor its 17th anniversary.
Wide-field
annotated and
zoomable image versions are also available.
Explanation:
South is toward the top in
this
colorful close-up view of the
Great
Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), famous star-forming region of the southern sky.
Covering an area surrounding the
dusty Keyhole
Nebula (NGC 3324) near picture center,
the image spans about 40 light-years within the larger
Carina
Nebula at an estimated distance of 7,500 light-years.
Like the more northerly Orion Nebula, the bright
Carina
Nebula is easily visible to the naked-eye.
But the dramatic colors in this telescopic
picture are mapped colors,
based on three exposures through narrow filters each
intended to record the light emitted by specific atoms in
the gaseous nebula.
Sulfur is shown in blue, hydrogen in green and oxygen in red hues.
The Carina Nebula is home to
young, extremely massive stars, including the still
enigmatic variable
Eta
Carinae, a star with well over 100 times the mass of
the Sun.
Highlighted by diffraction spikes,
Eta is just above
and right (east) of the Keyhole.
Explanation:
Eta Carinae,
one of the most massive and unstable stars in
the Milky Way Galaxy, has a profound effect 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.
Explanation:
In one of the brightest parts of the
Milky Way
lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur.
NGC 3372, known as the
Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebula.
Eta Carina,
the most energetic star in the nebula was one of the
brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s,
but then faded dramatically.
The Keyhole Nebula, visible near the center,
houses several of the most massive stars
known and has also changed its appearance.
The Carina Nebula spans over 300 light years and
lies about 7000 light-years away in the constellation of Carina.
The above image was taken from La Frontera in Alcohuaz,
Chile.
Eta Carina
might explode in a dramatic
supernova
within the next thousand years, and has even
flared in brightness over just the
past decade.
Explanation:
How do violent stars affect their surroundings?
To help find out, astronomers pointed the
Hubble Space Telescope to the regions surrounding
Eta Carina, a star showing signs that it may explode
sometime in the next million years.
The nearby nebulosity, shown above, is home to streams of hot gas,
pools of cool gas, knots of
dark globules, and
pillars of dense
dusty interstellar matter likely forming young stars.
The above image explores about three
light-years, a
region size intermediate to the
Eta Carina cocoon, which
spans only about one-half of a light year, and the
Great Nebula in Carina,
which spans over 300 light years.
In April of 1843 Eta Car briefly became second only to
Sirius as the
brightest star in planet Earth's night sky,
even though at a distance of about 7,500 light-years,
it is about 800 times farther away.
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.
Explanation:
Tumultuous clouds of
the Carina Nebula,
8000 light-years away, glow in planet Earth's
southern sky.
Striking and detailed,
this close-up of a portion of
the famous nebula
is a combination of exposures
through six different filters taken with the
Hubble Space Telescope's
Wide Field Planetary
Camera 2 in April of 1999.
Dramatic dark dust knots and complex features revealed are
sculpted
by the winds and radiation of
Carina's massive and
energetic stars.
But how were this picture's
colors generated?
Astronomical images produced
from Hubble Space Telescope data
can be composed of exposures made using relatively narrow
filters which don't match the color responses of the
human eye.
Some of the filters even transmit wavelengths of light outside
the visible spectrum.
Exposures made with different narrow filters,
as in this case,
are translated to a visible color where
shorter wavelengths are assigned
bluer and longer wavelengths assigned redder colors.
This color scheme represents a "chromatically ordered"
way of presenting the data rather than a
natural color image.
Explanation:
About three million years ago, the stars in the
Keyhole Nebula began to form.
The
above picture of the
Keyhole Nebula, also known as the Carina Nebula or NGC 3372,
shows in
infrared light many facets of this dramatic
stellar nursery
which lies only 9,000 light-years away.
Fine
dust reflects starlight
while being heated and emitting light of its own.
Open clusters
Trumpler 14 and
Trumpler 16 are visible in the
lower left and upper right of the nebula.
The bright star near
Trumpler 14 is called
Eta Carinae and is one of the most
unusual stars known.
A candidate for a
supernova in the next few thousand years,
Eta Carinae
faded from being one of the brightest stars
in the sky during the 1800s.
Despite
intensive study,
astronomers remain unsure whether
Eta Carinae is part of a
binary star system.
Explanation:
In one of the brightest parts of the
Milky Way
lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur.
NGC 3372, known as the
Great Nebula in Carina,
is home to massive stars and changing nebula.
Eta Carina,
the most energetic star in the nebula was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s,
but then faded dramatically.
The Keyhole Nebula, visible near the center,
houses several of the most massive stars
known and has also changed its appearance.
The Carina Nebula is about 7000 light-years
away in the constellation of Carina.
The
CTIO
Curtis-Schmidt Telescope in
Chile, South America took the above photograph.
Eta Carina
might explode in a dramatic
supernova
within the next thousand years, and has even
flared in brightness over just the
past two years.
Explanation:
The dark dusty Keyhole Nebula gets
its name from its unusual shape. Officially designated
NGC 3324, the
Keyhole Nebula
is a smaller region superposed on the larger
Eta Carina Nebula. These nebulae were
created by the dying star
Eta Carina, which is prone to
violent outbursts during its final centuries.
Noted and discussed as early as 1840 when a
spectacular explosion became visible, the
Eta Carina system now appears to be undergoing an
unusual period of change. An
emission nebula
that contains much
dust,
the Keyhole Nebula is roughly 9,000 light years distant.
This photogenic nebula can be seen in the south
with even a small telescope.
The Keyhole Nebula was recently
discovered to contain highly
structured clouds of
molecular gas.
Explanation:
The dark dusty Keyhole Nebula gets
its name from its unusual shape. Officially designated
NGC 3324, the
Keyhole Nebula
is a smaller region superposed on the larger
Eta Carina Nebula. These nebulae were
created by the dying star
Eta Carina, which is prone to
violent outbursts during its final centuries.
Noted and discussed as early as 1840 when a
spectacular explosion became visible, the
Eta Carina system now appears to be undergoing an
unusual period of change. An
emission nebula
that contains much
dust,
the Keyhole Nebula is roughly 9,000 light years distant.
This photogenic nebula can be seen in the south
with even a small telescope.
The Keyhole Nebula was recently
discovered to contain highly
structured clouds of
molecular gas.
Explanation:
These two clusters of bright, newly formed stars surrounded
by a glowing nebula lie 10 million light years away in the dim,
irregular galaxy cataloged as NGC 2366.
The Hubble Space Telescope image shows that the youngest cluster,
the bottom one at about 2 million years old,
is still surrounded by the gas and dust cloud it condensed from, while
powerful stellar winds from the stars
in the older cluster at the top (4-5 million years old),
have begun to clear away its central areas giving the entire nebula
an apparent hook shape.
Compared to the sun, the stars in these clusters
are massive and short lived.
The brightest one, near the tip of the hook, is a rare Luminous Blue Variable
with 30 to 60 times the mass of the sun - similar to the erruptive
Eta Carina variable in our own Milky Way.
Stars this massive
are extremely variable.
A comparison with ground based images indicates that in three
years this star's brightness increased by about 40 times making it currently
the brightest star in this dim galaxy.
Studies of such distant and diverse galaxies yield clues to the relationships
of star formation and galactic evolution.
Explanation:
This breathtaking patch of sky would be above you were you to stand at the
south pole of the Earth.
Just above and to the right of the photograph's center are the four stars
that mark the boundaries of the famous
Southern Cross.
At the top of this constellation, also known as "The Crux,"
is the orange star
Gamma Crucis.
The band of stars, dust, and gas crossing the middle of the photograph is
part our
Milky Way Galaxy.
In the very center of the photograph is
the dark Coal Sack Nebula, and the bright nebula on the far right is the
Eta Carina Nebula.
The southern cross is so famous a constellation that it is depicted on the
Australian National Flag.
Explanation:
The dark dusty Keyhole Nebula gets its name from its unusual shape.
Designated NGC 3324, the
Keyhole
Nebula is a smaller region superposed on the bright
Eta Carina
Nebula.
The Eta Carina Nebula is the largest nebula in angular extent on the sky,
larger than the famous Orion Nebula,
but its southerly location makes it less familiar to Northern Hemisphere
skywatchers.
The star Eta Carinae
itself is extremely variable and has faded in a mere 150 years - formerly
one of the brightest in the sky it is now invisible
without a telescope.
The nebula created by the star's
19th century outburst has been photographed by the
Hubble Space Telescope.
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