Eta Carinae nebula. Optical image of the Eta Carinae nebula (NGC 3372). This is a huge cloud of gas and dust surrounding the wildly erratic variable star Eta Carinae in the constellation Carina. The nebula is over 300 light years across,and is lit up by the ionisation of its hydrogen gas by radiation from hot,massive stars embedded in it. Dark regions intruding into the nebula are clouds of interstellar dust which absorb the light of the stars and nebula. Eta Carinae itself is a curious star. It reached magnitude -0.8 in 1843,making it the second brightest star in the sky,although it can become as dim as 8th magnitude | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Celestial Image Co. |
Taille de l’image : | 3072 px × 3072 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |