Carina Nebula

The Carina Nebula is a vast star-forming complex about 7,500 light-years away in the constellation Carina. It contains massive young stars, including Eta Carinae.

H II region: A region of ionized hydrogen surrounding hot, young stars that emit ultraviolet radiation. Ionized hydrogen glows across much of the nebula where massive stars energize its gas.
Eta Carinae: A highly luminous, unstable stellar system in Carina, dominated by a massive star that underwent a major nineteenth-century outburst. This famous system lies within the nebula and strongly shapes its surrounding material.
Photoionization: The process in which a photon ejects an electron from an atom or molecule. Ultraviolet photons from hot stars ionize the nebula's hydrogen and create glowing emission.
Infrared astronomy: The study of astronomical objects through infrared radiation, which can pass through dust more readily than visible light. Infrared observations reveal young stars and dusty structures hidden in optical images.
Molecular cloud: A cold, dense interstellar cloud composed mainly of molecular hydrogen, where stars can form. Dense molecular material in the complex supplies the raw matter for new stars.
Homunculus Nebula: A bipolar nebula of expanding gas and dust expelled by Eta Carinae during its nineteenth-century eruption. Its compact lobes are a distinct structure embedded in the larger Carina region.
Radiation-driven implosion: The compression and possible collapse of a dense cloud as radiation ionizes and pushes against its surface. This process can compress cloud edges exposed to the nebula's intense ultraviolet light.
X-ray astronomy: The study of celestial objects through the X-rays they emit. X-ray observations trace hot plasma and energetic stellar interactions in the complex.
Open cluster: A group of stars formed together from the same molecular cloud and bound by gravity or dispersing over time. Young clusters in the Carina complex reveal where its stars formed together.
Mystic Mountain: A pillar of gas and dust in the Carina Nebula, photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. This pillar illustrates how radiation and winds sculpt dense clouds in the complex.

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