#SpaceSnap: The Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory's Photo of the Eta Carinae

Hubble Space Telescope has yet again captured another heavenly phenomenon. NASA shares to fans the picture of the supermassive star Eta Carinae.

Eta Carinae was first observed by Hubble way back in 1995. It used its Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 to take a picture through red and near-ultraviolet filters. Note that multiple pictures were then combined to produce the image seen today.

What is Eta Carinae

According to NASA, Eta Carinae is a giant star that exploded about 150 years ago. Note that the star produced much light during its explosion, it was visible on Earth's skies despite being light-years away!

Even more surprising was the discovery that its core remained intact as two giant lobes. The power being radiated by this star is estimated to be 5 million times more than the Sun. Also, note that Eta Carinae is estimated to be 100 times bigger than the Sun. This means Eta Carinae might be one of the biggest stars in the galaxy.

NASA Findings: Eta Carinae Photos

Thanks to the technology aboard Hubble Space Telescope, Eta Carinae's dust lanes, tiny condensations, and strange radial streaks can be seen clearly in photos.

It is worth emphasizing that although this explosion happened in the past, astronomers can still observe traces of the phenomena because light travels slower in space.

Researchers noted that the explosion caused dust and other particles to move outward at a rate of around 1.5 million miles per hour, per Hubblesite. They also observed that Eta Carinae continues to give off outbursts of energy until today.

Sources from Space predict that Eta Carinae will once again become a full-sized supernova in the future. Little is known as to how Eta Carinae has survived its outburst and how it still remains intact.

How These Images Came To Life

It is worth mentioning that the image of Eta Carinae is produced by a collaboration between Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-Ray Observatory, per Space.

Note however that the Spitzer Space Telescope is already retired, so the data used was from its previous observations.

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory enables scientists to obtain X-Ray images, which helped them better understand the structure of the star. On the flip side, Hubble recorded the accurate photo of dust and clouds moving in the area.

Fans interested in Eta Carinae are recommended to check on NASA's 3D model of the explosion. Full details of the topic are available in this article.

The explosion of Eta Carinae is arguably one of the most spectacular phenomena that is observed astronomers and space fans. Researchers hope that they can uncover similar and exciting discoveries in the future too.

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