The Eta Carinae Nebula above ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile

The Eta Carinae Nebula above ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile

The Eta Carinae Nebula, a bright emission nebula, gives off a fiery red glow above Cerro Paranal and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) platform. This nebula is home to the Eta Carinae star system, stars with a combined luminosity five million times higher than the Sun. The Eta Carinae Nebula is located in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 8,500 light-years from Earth.

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.

 

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/B. Tafreshi (twanight.org)

Release Date: May 8, 2014

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