AAO image reference AAT 39. « Previous || Next »
Top left is NE. Image width is about 24 arc min
Image and text © 1984-2010, Australian Astronomical Observatory, photograph by David Malin.
The stars that excite this unusual nebula in Carina are not visible on this photograph. They are hidden in the dusty cloud at the 'base' (south) of the huge loops of nebulosity. This is material that has been blown out by radiation pressure and stellar winds from the concealed stars.
Silhouetted against the tenuous loops are dark clouds of dust with bright rims which indicate the direction of the stars which excite the nebula. This large complex of gas and dust is at about the same distance as the much brighter Eta Carinae nebula, about 7000 light years away.
Related Images
AAT 38. NGC 3576 and NGC 3603 in Carina
AAT 38a. NGC 3576 and NGC 3603 (wide field view)
AAT 40. Reddened nebulosity in NGC 3603
Constellation of Carina (external site)
For details of photographic exposure, search technical table by AAT reference number.