This Hubble Image shows the Carina Nebula, also known as Eta Carina or NGC 3372, in all its splendor. This huge emission nebula, for it spans on several square degrees in the sky, is a huge cloud of dust and gas located about 7500 light years away. The nebula, which can only be observed in the southern hemisphere (in the constellation Carina), has a visual magnitude of 1: you can even see it in cities! The picture is a mosaic of 48 pictures taken by the Hubble ACS, the Advanced Camera for Surveys.
The picture spans on the 53 light-year wide central region of the nebula. Stars are both being born and dying, in a stellar ballet, where stars play hide and seek with gas and dust. But nothing escapes Hubble’s sharp eye. This false colored image shows hydrogen in green, sulfur in red, and oxygen in blue, thanks to data collected by the nebula’s spectrum.

Download: Get the image in full resolution for wallpaper and deeper exploration (6000 x 2906 pixels, 7,29 Mo): Download the Hubble Carina Nebula Image

For more interactive media, please visit:

• Hubblesite’s Zoomable Image of the Carina Nebula
• Hubble Heritage Team’s Clickable Image of the Carina Nebula

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

See you next week for another nebula!
Clement