                        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.

                                2022 April 25

                         The Great Nebula in Carina
            Image Credit & Copyright: Ignacio Javier Diaz Bobillo

   Explanation: In one of the brightest parts of 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 nebulas. The
   Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324), the bright structure just below the image
   center, houses several of these massive stars. The entire Carina
   Nebula, captured here, spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500
   light-years away in the constellation of Carina. Eta Carinae, the most
   energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky
   in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically. While Eta Carinae itself
   maybe on the verge of a supernova explosion, X-ray images indicate that
   much of the Great Nebula in Carina has been a veritable supernova
   factory.

                  Tomorrow's picture: opera of the planets
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

