Hubble Photographs Turbulent Neighborhood Near Eruptive Star
A small portion of the rough-and-tumble neighborhood of swirling dust and gas near one of the most massive and eruptive stars in our galaxy is seen in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. This close-up view shows only a three light-year-wide portion of the entire Carina Nebula, which has a diameter of over 200 light-years. Located 8,000 light-years from Earth, the nebula can be seen in the southern sky with the naked eye.
Dramatic dark dust knots and complex structures are sculpted by the high-velocity stellar winds and high-energy radiation from the ultra-luminous variable star called Eta Carinae, or Eta Car (located outside the picture). This image shows a region in the Carina Nebula between two large clusters of some of the most massive and hottest known stars.
Credit:
About the Image
NASA caption
| Id: | opo0331a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 6 November 2003, 15:00 |
| Size: | 730 x 1325 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Carina Nebula, NGC 3372 |
| Type: | • Milky Way : Nebula • Nebulae Images/Videos |
| Distance: | 7500 light years |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
| Optical B |
450 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Optical V |
606 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Infrared I |
814 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
