The Tortured Clouds of Eta Carinae Acrylic Print

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The Tortured Clouds of Eta Carinae

Massive stars can wreak havoc on their surroundings, as can be seen in this new view of the Carina nebula from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The bright star at the center of the nebula is Eta Carinae, one of the most massive stars in the galaxy. Its blinding glare is sculpting and destroying the surrounding nebula.

Eta Carinae is a true giant of a star. It is around 100 times the mass of our sun and is burning its nuclear fuel so quickly that it is at least one million times brighter than the sun. It has brightened and faded over the years, and some astronomers think it could explode as a supernova in the not-too-distant future.

Such a tremendous outflow of energy comes at a great cost to the surrounding nebula. The infrared light from the star destroys particles of dust, sculpting cavities and leaving pillars of denser material that point back to the star. Spitzer's infrared vision lets us see the dust, shown in red, as w...

Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado USA, I'm a nature and landscape photographer primarily focused on the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Working in both color and black and white, I use a variety of photographic techniques to capture the many moods of mountain landscapes, from intimate perspectives to grand vistas, in locations both iconic and seldom-visited. My goal is to produce images with vivid colors, high dynamic range, and compelling compositions. Longer lens focal lengths are preferred to bring the viewer closer into the scene, requiring every available pixel to help tell the story. Thank you for visiting the site. I hope you enjoy my work. "The mountains are calling and I must go." -- John Muir