Posted on 12/26/2015 9:05:54 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Eta Carinae may be about to explode. But no one knows when - it may be next year, it may be one million years from now. Eta Carinae's mass - about 100 times greater than our Sun - makes it an excellent candidate for a full blown supernova. Historical records do show that about 150 years ago Eta Carinae underwent an unusual outburst that made it one of the brightest stars in the southern sky. Eta Carinae, in the Keyhole Nebula, is the only star currently thought to emit natural LASER light. This featured image, taken in 1996, brought out new details in the unusual nebula that surrounds this rogue star. Now clearly visible are two distinct lobes, a hot central region, and strange radial streaks. The lobes are filled with lanes of gas and dust which absorb the blue and ultraviolet light emitted near the center. The streaks remain unexplained.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: J. Morse (Arizona State U.), K. Davidson (U. Minnesota) et al., WFPC2, HST, NASA]
The rose in the sky.
That’s Gonna leave a mark.
Or perhaps a chrysanthemum? It seems to be either flower.
And the entire star and surroundings are very beautiful.
Thank you for the post and ping, Mr. Civilizations.
That is quite the spectacular image.
I do hope to one day see this in a telescope before it goes “Boom!!!”
It’s about 10 deg to far in the south for me to see it here.
I’ll probably have to go to Australia.
It is. It must have been a thrilling discovery by whomever first found it in the sky.
First recorded as a 4th magnitude star, it brightened considerably over the period 1837 to 1856 in an event known as the Great Eruption. Eta Carinae became the second brightest star in the sky between 11 and 14 March 1843 before fading well below naked eye visibility. It has brightened consistently since about 1940, peaking above magnitude 4.5 in 2014.
;’)
Indeed. ;-)
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