Starship Asterisk*

Stars, Gas, and Dust Battle in the Carina Nebula

Explanation: Chaos reigns in the Carina Nebula where massive stars form and die. Striking and detailed, this close-up of a portion of the famous nebula is a combination of light emitted by hydrogen (shown in red) and oxygen (shown in blue). Dramatic dark dust knots and complex features revealed are sculpted by the winds and radiation of Carina's massive and energetic stars. One iconic feature of the Carina Nebula is the dark V-shaped dust lane that occurs in the top half of the image. The Carina Nebula spans about 200 light years, lies about 7,500 light years distant, and is visible with binoculars toward the southern constellation of Carina. In a billion years after the dust settles -- or is destroyed, and the gas dissipates -- or gravitationally condenses, then only the stars will remain -- but not even the brightest ones.

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Not a "V"... a LARGE VAMPIRE BAT!!!! HELLO?????
or maybe a Screech Owl.... hmmmmm....

Great image.

Still looks cloudy next Monday around 10am... fingers are crossed for at least a window of opportunity...
:---[===] *

Good image! The strong contrast in the upper right and lower left provide much depth perception.
I remember the Carina Nebula mostly in two other color palettes: ‘true color’ RGB (middle), and the mix-up palette that the HH team used (right, inset) for the 17th anniversary, and was featured in the 2007 April 25 and 2009 May 24 APOD.

It is amazing how often an anthropomorphic human face shows up in these nebula images. From the Horsehead Nebula, (well a horse head rather than human) to the Pillars of Creation, to the Face on Mars. Here's another one, although it looks like an 18th century theatrical actor's mask rather, with a mustache. Look about a third way up the black and blue line from the V on the right side. It could only be seen clicking on the high resolution image. There is a shelf protruding out into the blue cloud. Sitting on this 'platter' is a head with clear black eyes and a black mustache. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Today's APOD is a dramatic portrait of the Carina Nebula, which enhances the nebula's characteristic "V" dust lanes.



















I can't resist comparing Bastien Foucher's picture with the one by ESO/T. Preibisch. Because of my love of all things blue, and my fascination with stars - particularly blue stars, of course - it goes without saying that I prefer the ESO/T. Preibisch picture over Bastien Foucher's. The ESO picture is dominated by shades of blue, and stars stand out very prominently. Bastien Foucher's image, by contrast, is mostly aqua-colored and orange, and the stars are often downright hard to spot. If you don't know where to look for the remarkable young cluster Trumpler 14, you are not very likely to find i in Foucher's image. Even Eta Carina, which is so brilliant in the lower left corner of the ESO/T Preibisch picture, looks downright muted and faint in Foucher's image.

That said, I realize that the two pictures are not directly comparable. Foucher's picture shows a much wider field of view and enhances the "V" of dust, which, however, is not visible at all in the ESO/Preibisch picture. Also, of course, Foucher's primary aim must have been to highlight the gas and dust in the Carina Nebula. The stars take second stage in his picture, because that was the way it was meant to be.

Ann

If the Solar system would reside in the center area of the picture - how would we perceive our environment (the sky) ? Red, blue, black, bright, dark?

ThePiper wrote:If the Solar system would reside in the center area of the picture - how would we perceive our environment (the sky) ? Red, blue, black, bright, dark?

The cloudless daytime sky would be blue, as it is now. The night time sky would show off gray splotches of nebulosity and many bright stars. As for the colors of the stars, Eta Carina might look warm white, whereas other stars might be blue-white. And there would be some golden-colored red giants, too.

Ann

Eta Carinae, show us how to explode while I am still around. I dare you ...... By the way, do astrophotographers plan to stitch together upcoming two minute total eclipse movies and result in a three hour total eclipse movie ?

ta152h0 wrote:Eta Carinae, show us how to explode while I am still around. I dare you ...... By the way, do astrophotographers plan to stitch together upcoming two minute total eclipse movies and result in a three hour total eclipse movie ?

That's one of the goals of the Eclipse Megamovie. As long as gaps caused by clouds aren't too long.

ta152h0 wrote:... By the way, do astrophotographers plan to stitch together upcoming two minute total eclipse movies and result in a three hour total eclipse movie ?

NGC3314 wrote:That's one of the goals of the Eclipse Megamovie. As long as gaps caused by clouds aren't too long.

First Eclipse Megamovie to Be Released Evening of Aug 21
University of California, Berkeley | 2017 Aug 16

Just heard on the radio the NASA RB57 is going to follow the event , which probably means they are imaging and flying above those darned clouds. Our local weatherman is saying the typhoon winds in Japan are going to move those clouds up north to Canada.

ta152h0 wrote:Just heard on the radio the NASA RB57 is going to follow the event ,

http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?t=37412

mama mia, that is a big intake on the beaast ( to better gulp air with ? )