According to NASA, a Nebula can contain as few as ten stars or as many as millions of stars. Although most nebulae fall into just three categories – spherical, elliptical, and dipole, some of them can be irregularly shaped, to the point of resembling objects on Earth. Although the nebulae lie at seemingly great distances, advanced technology such as the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope have allowed NASA to observe and study these amazing celestial bodies.
Today NASA Astronomical images of the day is NGC 3372, also known as the Great Carina Nebula located in the constellation Carina. This star-forming region is about 8500 light-years away and spans over 200 light-years. According to NASA, the Great Carina Nebula is home to a number of celestial features such as the Keyhole Nebula and an unstable supergiant star called Eta Carinae, which is expected to become a supernova one day. some time in the future.
The photo was taken by an astrophysicist Carlos Taylor.
NASA’s description of the painting
The Great Carina Nebula is home to strange stars and iconic nebulae. Named for its home constellation, the massive star-forming region is larger and brighter than the Great Orion Nebula but is less known because it is so far south — and because so many people live there. far north. The featured image shows in great detail the northernmost part of the Carina Nebula. At the bottom left is the Gabriela Mistral Nebula consisting of a luminous gas emission nebula (IC 2599) surrounding a small open cluster (NGC 3324). Above the center of the image is the larger star cluster NGC 3293, while to its right is the Loden 153 emission nebula.
However, the most famous inhabitants of the Carina Nebula are not shown. In addition to the image at the bottom right is the bright, erratic and destructive star known as Eta Carinae – a star that was once one of the brightest in the sky and is now predicted to explode into a supernova. nova in the next few million years.
