Carina Nebula, Chile

Carina Nebula
Hacienda los Andes, Chile   –   February 19, 2023
— Ralph Paonessa
EOS R6   *   TEC APO200FL f/8   *   ISO 6400   *   f/8

RGB from Canon EOS R6 (filter-modified to record more hydrogen-alpha emission) at ISO 6400.

90 x 90 sec = 2.3 hr total exposure

The separate exposures were calibrated with dark and bias frames, integrated, and processed in PixInsight, with final adjustments in Adobe Lightroom.

The Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) is a highlight of the Southern Hemisphere night sky and is easily seen in the constellation Carina in a bright region of the Milky Way, near the Southern Cross and the South Celestial Pole.

This is an area of intense star formation, with energetic clouds of emission nebulosity as well as colder dark nebulas of dust. Eta Carinae (η Car), the central star, is estimated to be 100-150 times more massive than the sun and five million times brighter. It is actually a star system of two or more interacting stars. In 1837, it suddenly brightened in the so-called "Great Eruption" and for a while was the second-brightest star in the sky, but has since faded. These complex processes have altered the appearance of the Carina Nebula in just the past two centuries. It remains one of the most beautiful objects in the sky.

Photo ID: Carina Nebula RGB v2