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Credit & Copyright: Carlos Fairbairn
Explanation:
Tracking along
the southern Milky Way this beautiful celestial
mosaic was recorded under dark Brazilian skies.
Spanning some 20 degrees it actually starts with the dark expanse of
the
Coalsack nebula at the lower left, tucked under an arm of the
Southern Cross.
That compact constellation is topped by bright yellowish
Gamma Crucis,
a cool giant star a mere 88 light-years distant.
A line from Gamma Crucis through the blue
star at the bottom of the cross, Alpha Crucis,
points toward the South Celestial Pole.
Follow the Milky Way to the right and your gaze will sweep across IC 2948,
popularly known as the
Running Chicken nebula,
before it reaches
Eta Carinae and the Carina Nebula near the right edge of the frame.
About 200 light-years across, the Carina Nebula is a star forming region much
larger than the more northerly stellar nursery the Orion Nebula.
The Carina Nebula lies around 7,500 light-years from Earth along the plane
of the Milky Way.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Milky Way - Southern Cross - Eta Carinae
Publications with words: Milky Way - Southern Cross - Eta Carinae
See also:
- APOD: 2024 May 29 Á Stairway to the Milky Way
- The Great Carina Nebula
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
- Milky Way Rising
- APOD: 2023 July 18 Á Milky Way above La Palma Observatory
- APOD: 2023 July 16 Á Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps
- APOD: 2023 July 9 Á Doomed Star Eta Carinae