Compass and Scale Image of Eta Carinae Light Echo

 Compass and Scale Image of Eta Carinae Light Echo

Credits

Illustration: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI);
Image: NASA, NOAO, and A. Rest (Space Telescope Science Institute)

About The Object
Object Name Carina Nebula
Object Description Carina Nebula and Light Echo Caused by the Massive/Variable Star Eta Car
R.A. Position 10h 44m 12s.127
Dec. Position -60° 16' 01".69
Constellation Carina
Distance 7,500 light-years (2,300 parsecs)
About The Data
Data Description The science team studying the Eta Car light echo was led by A. Rest (STScI). The color image (left) of a portion of the Carina Nebula was taken with the CTIO Curtis Schmidt telescope on February 25, 2000. The filter and color assignments are as follows: oxygen (blue), hydrogen (green), and sulfur (red). The single-filter images of the light echo (below right) were taken in 2003, 2010, and 2011 with the CTIO 4-m Blanco telescope.
Instrument CTIO Curtis Schmidt telescope (color image), and CTIO 4-m Blanco telescope (grayscale images)
Exposure Dates February 25, 2000 (color image), and March 10, 2003, May 10, 2010 and February 6, 2011 (grayscale images)
About The Image
Color Info Blue: oxygen Green: hydrogen Red: sulfur
Compass Image Compass and Scale Image of Eta Carinae Light Echo
About The Object
Object Name A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
Object Description The type of astronomical object.
R.A. Position Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
Dec. Position Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
Constellation One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
Distance The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
Dimensions The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
About The Data
Data Description
  • Proposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
  • Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
Instrument The science instrument used to produce the data.
Exposure Dates The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
Filters The camera filters that were used in the science observations.
About The Image
Image Credit The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content.
Publication Date The date and time the release content became public.
Color Info A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.
Orientation The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere.