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astronomicalwonders:
The Carina Nebula - A Birthplace Of Stars
The Carina Nebula lies at an estimated distance of 6,500 to 10,000
light years away from Earth in the constellation Carina. This nebula is
one of the most well studied in astrophysics and has a high rate of star
formation. The star-burst in the Carina region started around three
million years ago when the nebula’s first generation of newborn stars
condensed and ignited in the middle of a huge cloud of cold molecular
hydrogen. Radiation from these stars carved out an expanding bubble of
hot gas. The island-like clumps of dark clouds scattered across the
nebula are nodules of dust and gas that are resisting being eaten away
by photons (particles of light) that are ionizing the surrounding gas
(giving it an electrical charge).
Credit: NASA/Hubble
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