Pillars in the Carina Nebula (HH901)

  • Released Wednesday, April 11th, 2018
  • Updated Monday, November 13th, 2023 at 12:16AM
  • ID: 30940

Herbig Haro 901 is an immense pillar of gas and dust inside the Carina Nebula, a huge star-forming region in our galaxy. The pillar is several light-years tall and contains a few massive young stars. They shoot out powerful jets that emerge from the cloud. In some cases, the jets create bow-shock patterns similar to the effects of a ship plowing through the ocean. In the visible-light (Hubble) view, very few stars can be seen because the gas and dust block starlight. But in the infrared (Hubble) view, stars become visible and numerous. The visible-light colors emerge from the glow of different gases: oxygen (blue), hydrogen/nitrogen (green), and sulfur (red). The Carina Nebula is approximately 7,500 light years from Earth.



Credits

Please give credit for this item to: Video: NASA, ESA and G. Bacon (STScI) Image: NASA, ESA,and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)


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