The Carina Nebula

The Carina Nebula is a large bright nebula that surrounds several clusters of stars. It contains two of the most massive and luminous stars in our Milky Way galaxy, Eta Carinae and HD 93129A. Located 7500 light years away, the nebula itself spans some 260 light years across, about 7 times the size of the Orion Nebula, and is shown in all its glory in this mosaic. It is based on images collected with the 1.5-m Danish telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory.

Being brighter than one million Suns, Eta Carinae (the brightest star in this image) is the most luminous star known in the Galaxy, and has most likely a mass over 100 times that of the Sun. It is the closest example of a luminous blue variable, the last phase in the life of a very massive star before it explodes in a fiery supernova. Eta Carinae is surrounded by an expanding bipolar cloud of dust and gas known as the Homunculus ('little man' in Latin), which astronomers believe was expelled from the star during a great outburst seen in 1843.

Credit:

ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/R.Gendler, J-E. Ovaldsen, C. Thöne, and C. Feron.

About the Image

Id:etamosaicnm2
Type:Observation
Release date:3 December 2009, 23:18
Size:5828 x 3524 px

About the Object

Name:Carina Nebula
Type:Milky Way : Nebula
Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Cluster
Distance:7500 light years
Constellation:Carina
Category:Nebulae

Image Formats

Large JPEG
11.7 MB
Screensize JPEG
292.5 KB

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1.8 MB

Coordinates

Position (RA):10 44 13.07
Position (Dec):-59° 38' 29.10"
Field of view:38.34 x 23.19 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 44.0° right of vertical

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Optical
B
Danish 1.54-metre telescope
Optical
V
Danish 1.54-metre telescope
Optical
R
Danish 1.54-metre telescope