WhyCosmo

Eta Carinae , a colossal star in the Keyhole Nebula , is on the brink of a cosmic explosion, but the exact timing remains a mystery. With a mass 100 times that of our Sun, Eta Carinae is a prime candidate for a supernova. This could happen as soon as next year or even a million years from now. Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt Historical records reveal that around 170 years ago, Eta Carinae experienced a massive outburst, becoming one of the brightest stars in the southern sky. Fascinatingly, it's the only known star that emits natural LASER light. In the latest image provided by NASA, the extraordinary details of the nebula surrounding Eta Carinae are highlighted —bright multi-colored diffraction spikes caused by the telescope radiate from the star's center. The Homunculus Nebula, with its two distinct lobes, envelops the hot core, showing lanes of gas and dust that absorb blue and ultraviolet light. However, some strange radial red streaks ...

 The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has once again dazzled the world with its latest image, capturing the stunning transformation of a nebula by infant stars. This captivating image presents RCW 7, a nebula located just over 5,300 light-years away in the constellation Puppis. This striking NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the nebula RCW 7. ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Tan (Chalmers University & University of Virginia), R. Fedriani Nebulae, rich with the raw materials needed for star formation, are where the magic begins. Under gravity’s influence, parts of these molecular clouds collapse and coalesce into very young stars, known as protostars. These protostars, still enveloped in spinning discs of leftover gas and dust, are massive and emit strongly ionizing radiation and stellar winds. This powerful radiation transforms the nebula into an H II region, filled with hydrogen ions that emit a soft pinkish glow. The image, taken with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 i...