Image Credit: Damian Peach/SEN
The Carina Nebula in the constellation Carina is dynamic and massive, spanning over 300 light years in size. Pictured within the Carina Nebula is a series of massive stars and smaller nebulae. A star currently of great interest to astronomers is Eta Carina, the bright yellow star pictured slightly left to the center. It used to be one of the brightest stars in the night sky during the 1830s, but has now drastically faded in magnitude. Eta Carina, along with many other stars within the nebula, are on the verge of supernova, earning the Carina Nebula the reputation of a “supernova factory”.
-Julia
Published by Julia Mariani
(Sources: NASA)