The Carina Nebula from the ground
This image shows a ground-based view of the giant star-forming region in the southern sky known as the Carina Nebula, combining the light from three different filters tracing emission from oxygen (blue), hydrogen (green), and sulphur (red). The colour is also representative of the temperature in the ionised gas: blue is relatively hot and red is cooler. The Carina Nebula is a good example of how very massive stars rip apart the molecular clouds that give birth to them. The bright star near the centre of the image is eta Carinae, one of the most massive and luminous stars known.
Credit:
N. Smith and NOAO/AURA/NSF
About the Image
| Id: | heic0707g |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 24 April 2007, 15:00 |
| Related releases: | heic0707 |
| Size: | 1280 x 752 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Carina Nebula, NGC 3372 |
| Type: | • Milky Way : Nebula |
| Distance: | 7500 light years |
Colours & filters
| Band | Telescope |
| Optical | Other |
| Optical | Other |
| Optical | Other |
