NASA's Spitzer Image Carina Nebula: Brighter Than a Thousand Thousand Suns

This new view shows the Carina nebula as seen in a new image made by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. 

At the center of the nebula lies Eta Carinae, one of the most massive stars in the galaxy. 

Its blinding glare sculpts and destroys the surrounding nebula.

Eta Carinae represents a true giant of a star. 

It contains 100 times the mass of our sun, and burns its nuclear fuel so quickly that it blazes at least one million times brighter than the sun. 

It has brightened and faded over the years, and some astronomers think it could explode as a supernova in the not-too-distant future.