NASA image release Feb. 24, 2012
At the turn of the 19th century, the binary star system Eta Carinae was faint and undistinguished. In the first decades of the century, it became brighter and brighter, until, by April 1843, it was the second brightest star in the sky, outshone only by Sirius (which is almost a thousand times closer to Earth). In the years that followed, it gradually dimmed again and by the 20th century was totally invisible to the naked eye.
The star has continued to vary in brightness ever since, and while it is once again visible to the naked eye on a dark night, it has never again come close to its peak of 1843.
NASA's Hubble Telescope captured an image of Eta Carinae. This image consists of ultraviolet and visible light images from the High Resolution Channel of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The field of view is approximately 30 arcseconds across.
The larger of the two stars in the Eta Carinae system is a huge and unstable star that is nearing the end of its life, and the event that the 19th century astronomers observed was a stellar near-death experience. Scientists call these outbursts supernova impostor events, because they appear similar to supernovae but stop just short of destroying their star.
Although 19th century astronomers did not have telescopes powerful enough to see the 1843 outburst in detail, its effects can be studied today. The huge clouds of matter thrown out a century and a half ago, known as the Homunculus Nebula, have been a regular target for Hubble since its launch in 1990. This image, taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys High Resolution Channel, is the most detailed yet, and shows how the material from the star was not thrown out in a uniform manner, but forms a huge dumbbell shape.
Eta Carinae is not only interesting because of its past, but also because of its future. It is one of the closest stars to Earth that is likely to explode in a supernova in the relatively near future (though in astronomical timescales the "near future" could still be a million years away). When it does, expect an impressive view from Earth, far brighter still than its last outburst: SN 2006gy, the brightest supernova ever observed, came from a star of the same type, though from a galaxy over 200 million light-years away.
Credit: ESA/NASA
More information: www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1208a/
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Bruna Canepa, and_illusion, and 210 other people added this photo to their favorites.
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View 12 more comments
wawa kuroba keita 16 months ago | reply
cool... amazing..
HenryD9 16 months ago | reply
Let's hope I am alive to see it - spectacular
leandroafonso85 [deleted] 16 months ago | reply
Magnifico
Clairement Oli 16 months ago | reply
Spectacular!
.WOLES. 16 months ago | reply
wow
AZM-GRAPHIX 16 months ago | reply
Incredable!
Matheus Pratta 16 months ago | reply
Amazing!
ViniciusXD20 16 months ago | reply
Omg, unbeli...
...... (Nothing)
Wooooow
.....(Nothing)
....Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwoooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwww
very beautiful
jimctu 16 months ago | reply
wow!
LizaLovesNature 16 months ago | reply
How Beautiful! To me it resembles a lady slipper flower:)
da i xho 16 months ago | reply
tiene la misma forma que describe "Nassim Haramein".
Doble tiroidal, interesante...
Herick Allaín 16 months ago | reply
Where is the EXIF ??? LOL
hsmoly 16 months ago | reply
Amazing! Amazing!
mikl.b 16 months ago | reply
Waouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
0046akickr 16 months ago | reply
Wow!
Amazing!
big429 5 months ago | reply
Parabens NASA !
Jamilhiano 5 months ago | reply
Simplesmente um espetÁCulo... Porem sinistro.
CaueGotenSSJALL 5 months ago | reply
Q foda msm ao mesmo tempo triste