Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2004 May 17 
Posted on 05/17/2004 6:52:43 AM PDT by petuniasevan
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2004 May 17
Explanation: In one of the brightest parts of the Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur. NGC 3372, known as the Great Nebula in Carina, is home to massive stars and changing nebula. Eta Carina, the most energetic star in the nebula was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically. The Keyhole Nebula, visible near the center, houses several of the most massive stars known and has also changed its appearance. The Carina Nebula spans over 300 light years and lies about 7000 light-years away in the constellation of Carina. The above image was taken from La Frontera in Alcohuaz, Chile. Eta Carina might explode in a dramatic supernova within the next thousand years, and has even flared in brightness over just the past decade.
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Keyhole part of the nebula in infrared (cuts through the intervening dust):
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Sorry, this beautiful nebula is not visible in the USA except VERY low in the south from south Florida (4 degrees above horizon in Miami), extreme south Texas, and Hawaii (8 degrees above the horizon in Honolulu).
| Right Ascension | 10 : 43.8 (h:m) |
|---|---|
| Declination | -59 : 52 (deg:m) |
| Distance | 10.0 (kly) |
| Visual Brightness | 1.0 (mag) |
| Apparent Dimension | 120x120 (arc min) |
YES! You too can be added to the APOD PING list! Just ask!
Glad I'm not in Eta Carinae's neighborhood!
Beautiful, thank you.
very nice
thank you for the ping
This is beautiful.
Thanks for posting and...
a "wonder of creation newsbreak pingggggggggg!"
There should be better regulation of these things...
I thought that I'd substitute this ping for the Rush pings of which you are so fond.
;-)
Explosive!
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