It has been described as one of the most amazing objects in the sky. "Eta Car" is easily visible to the unaided eye as a faint, hazy patch of light west of the Southern Cross. Telescopic views reveal a complex structure of bright emission nebula and dark lanes not unlike this image, but minus the red color that the long film exposure reveals quite easily. Most remarkable is the bright core, where the star Eta Carinae glows in a golden light, nearly hidden in a cocoon of gas and dust. Since the first telescopic observations in the late 1600's, Eta has continued to fluctuate in brightness leading some to believe that this could be a good candidate for a supernova event.

Technical Details:

• Subject: Eta Carinae Nebula
• Instrument: Astro Physics 6" f/7.1 EDF Refractor
• Exposure: 50 minutes
• Film: Kodak PPF 400 (unhypersensitized)
• Location: Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia
• Photographer(s): John Gleason & Steve Mandel

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Last updated: 07/08/99