Photo Agency - Astronomy - Space - Nature
> Carina nebula NGC 3372
Carina nebula NGC 3372
author: Anglo-Australian Observatory/David Malin Images/Novapix
reference: a-neb33-72001
Image Size 300 DPI: 46 * 57 cm
Although no bright naked-eye stars are associated with the Carina nebula now, 150 years ago there blazed forth here one of the most unusual and peculiar stars ever seen. The star is known as Eta Carinae and for a few months in 1843 it was the second or third brightest star in the sky. Since then it has faded and is today about 1000 times fainter than it was at its brightest as the nebula it created during its outburst has cooled and become opaque. The whole region around Eta Carinae is rich in hot stars of which Eta is an extreme example and it is their combined radiation that produces the spectacular Carina nebula that dominates this picture. The nebula and its peculiar star are about 8000 light years away.
Contact : Stéphane Aubin +33-(0)9-51-26-53-76
© Novapix - All rights reserved