Spectacular New Image Exposes Carina Nebula's Cool Clouds

A new image of the Carina nebula reveal the cold dusty clouds from which stars form in the bustling stellar nursery.

CREDIT: ESO/APEX/T. Preibisch et al. (Submillimetre); N. Smith, University of Minnesota/NOAO/AURA/NSF (Optical)

A stunning new image of the Carina nebula reveals cold, dusty cosmic clouds where violent and dynamic star formation is taking place.

These clouds of dust and gas play host to some of the most massive and luminous stars in our galaxy, which make them scintillating test beds for studying the interactions between these young stars and their parent molecular clouds.

The new observations were made with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope, which is located about 16,700 feet (5,100 meters) above sea level at the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory in the Atacama desert in northern Chile.

A team of astronomers led by Thomas Preibisch, from the University Observatory Munich in Germany, captured images of the star-forming region in the Carina nebula in submillimetre light.

At this wavelength, most of the light that can be seen is the weak heat glow from grains of cosmic dust, the researchers said.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (U. California, Berkeley) et al., and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

What dark forms lurk in the mists of the Carina Nebula? These ominous figures are actually molecular clouds, knots of molecular gas and dust so thick they have become opaque.

In comparison, however, these clouds are typically much less dense than Earth's atmosphere.

Pictured above is part of the most detailed image of the Carina Nebula ever taken where dark molecular clouds are particularly prominent.

The entire Carina Nebula spans more than 300 light years and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the constellation of Carina.

NGC 3372, known as the Great Nebula in Carina, is home to massive stars and changing nebula.

Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically.

Wide-field annotated and zoomable versions of the larger image composite are also available.