Credit & Copyright: J. Morse
(Arizona State U.),
K. Davidson
(U. Minnesota) et al.,
WFPC2,
HST,
NASA
Explanation:
Eta Carinae may be about to explode.
But no one knows when - it may be
next year, it may be one million years from now.
Eta Carinae's mass - about
100 times greater than our Sun -
makes it an excellent candidate for a full blown supernova.
Historical records do show that about 150 years ago Eta Carinae underwent an unusual outburst
that made it one of the brightest stars in the southern sky.
Eta Carinae, in the
Keyhole Nebula, is the only star currently
thought to emit natural LASER light.
This image, taken in 1996, resulted from sophisticated
image-processing procedures designed to bring out new details in the
unusual nebula that surrounds
this
rogue star.
Now clearly visible are two
distinct lobes, a hot central region, and strange radial streaks.
The lobes are filled with lanes of gas and
dust which absorb the blue and
ultraviolet light emitted near the center.
The streaks remain unexplained.
Will these clues tell us how the nebula was formed?
Will they better indicate when Eta Carinae will explode?
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 |
Yanvar' Fevral' Mart Aprel' Mai Iyun' Iyul' Avgust Sentyabr' Oktyabr' Noyabr' Dekabr' |
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
|
Publikacii s klyuchevymi slovami:
Eta Carinae - supernova - Eta Kilya - Sverhnovye
Publikacii so slovami: Eta Carinae - supernova - Eta Kilya - Sverhnovye | |
Sm. takzhe:
Vse publikacii na tu zhe temu >> | |
