Eta Carinae, one of the most massive stars in the Milky Way
Galaxy, has been called a 'supernova in the making'. An outburst
seen from the southern hemisphere in 1843 made it briefly the
second brightest star in the night sky, although it is an
estimated 9,000 light years from Earth. The star itself is not
seen in this image. It is hidden by an elaborate nebulosity of
gas and dust, produced by past eruptions. Yet infrared
observations that penetrate the cloak of dust show that it is
shining within, and recent observations with the HST have
measured the rate at which matter continues to stream from the
star. The larger, red region of nebulosity is probably the most
rapidly moving gas that erupted from Eta Carinae in the 1840s.
Some of this outlying material is Moving at velocities in excess
of two million miles per hour. The two pronounced lobes at the
center of the picture shine so brightly because they contain
huge numbers of microscopic dust particles that reflect or
'scatter' the light from the hidden cent