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Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari
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.
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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:
- APOD: 2024 February 5 Á In the Core of the Carina Nebula
- APOD: 2023 December 6 Á Stars Verus Dust in the Carina Nebula
- APOD: 2023 May 1 Á Carina Nebula North
- Carina Cliffs from the Webb Space Telescope
- Mountains of Dust in the Carina Nebula
- The Great Nebula in Carina
- HH 666: Carina Dust Pillar with Jet