Carina Nebula

The Orion Nebula may be the best-known emission nebula, but it loses to the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) as the most spectacular. Measuring 2° across, the Carina Nebula looks like an ethereal orchid blossoming, with many dark rifts dividing it into several distinct “petals.”

 

Residing about 7,500 light-years from Earth, the Carina Nebula lies within its namesake constellation, Carina the Keel.

 

The nebula's fantastic landscape is sculpted by the action of outflowing winds and scorching ultraviolet radiation from the monster stars that inhabit this inferno. In the process, these stars are shredding the surrounding material that is the last vestige of the giant cloud from which the stars were born. The immense nebula contains at least a dozen brilliant stars that are roughly estimated to be at least 50 to 100 times the mass of our Sun.

 

The blast of stellar winds and blistering ultraviolet radiation within the cavity is now compressing the surrounding walls of cold hydrogen. This is triggering a second stage of new star formation. Our Sun and our solar system may have been born inside such a cosmic crucible 4.6 billion years ago.

 

EXIF

Canon EOS-Ra

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM ll

Canon EF-EOS-R drop-in adapter

IDAS NB12 filter

Skywatcher AZ-GTI, equatorially mounted

ZWO ASIAair for rig control

 

Stack of 20x 60s @ ISO1600, unfiltered & 5x 180s @ ISO6400, filtered

 

#OuterSpace #Astronomy #Nebula #Space #astrophotography #ngc3372 #CarinaNebula #deepscape #deepsky

Done