Astronomy Picture of the Day——船底座大星云
The Great Nebula in Carina
Image Credit & Copyright: DieterWillasch (Astro-Cabinet)
Explanation: What's happening in the centerof the Carina Nebula? Stars are forming, dying, and leaving an impressivetapestry of dark dusty filaments. The entire Carina Nebula, cataloged as NGC3372, spans over 300 light years and lies about 8,500 light-years away in theconstellation of Carina. The nebula is composed predominantly of hydrogen gas,which emits the pervasive red glow seen in this highly detailed featured image.The blue glow in the center is created by a trace amount of glowing oxygen.Young and massive stars located in the nebula's center expel dust when theyexplode in supernovae. Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula'scenter, was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then fadeddramatically.
船底座大星云
船底座星云的中央究竟发生了什么？
许多恒星正在诞生，另外一些恒星在消亡，形成了一幅由黑暗丝状尘埃构成的壮丽织锦。船底座大星云被编录为NGC 3372，其跨度超过300光年，位于船底座内，距离地球约8500光年。
该星云主要由氢气构成，它放射出的红光在这幅精细图像中随处可见。而影像中央的蓝光则是由极微量的炽热氧气发出的。当该星云中央的年轻大质量恒星发生超新星爆炸时，会抛出大量的尘埃。海山二星是该星云中最高能的恒星，是19世纪30年代时天空最明亮的恒星之一，但随后急剧变暗。
参考文献：
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1905/CarinaWideField_Willasch_2200.jpg
近期文章：
Astronomy Picture of the Day——飞越涡状星系的虚拟影像